On May 8, India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri stood in front of a sea of reporters in New Delhi to address the nation. Commenting on the deadly attack in the scenic town of Pahalgam, Misri said one of the attackers’ objectives was “provoking communal discord, both in Jammu and Kashmir and the rest of the nation.”
Islamist militants killed 26 civilians in India-administered Kashmir on April 22 — most of them shot point blank in front of their family members after asking if they were Muslim or Hindu.
Misri spoke while flanked by Colonel Sophia Qureshi, a Muslim, and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, a Hindu — portraying a picture of unity between religious communities, genders and the military with its government.