3 min readAug 3, 2026 06:00 AM IST First published on: Aug 3, 2026 at 06:00 AM ISTThe targeted killing of two migrant workers from Chhattisgarh in Kulgam district is an attempt by terrorist organisations, backed by Pakistan, to keep Jammu and Kashmir simmering. Less than two weeks after a constable of the Special Operations Group of the Jammu and Kashmir Police was murdered by terrorists, the first attack on migrant workers in the Valley since 2024 comes amid the peaceful conduct of the Amarnath Yatra and two years after the assembly election saw a heartening turnout of voters. The attack on Friday, along with the killing of the J-K Special Operations Group constable, may point to a changing strategy on the part of terror groups like Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and its alleged offshoot, The Resistance Front (TRF), and their handlers in Pakistan. It could also be a consequence of Rawalpindi’s growing challenges on its western front as well as in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.In the last six years, 25 migrants have been killed in the Valley by terrorists. Behind the targeting of these workers — Deepak Ratre (24) and Bhupinder Bhaina (25) worked at a brick kiln in Kulgam — is a cynical calculus: Targeted killings of vulnerable groups, which do not involve large casualties, are a way of circumventing the consequences that may now be invited by larger, more spectacular acts of terror. From the surgical strikes after the Uri attack in 2016 to Balakot in 2019 down to Operation Sindoor, New Delhi has raised the cost of backing terrorists for Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Proxies of proxy groups — like the TRF of the LeT, the latter itself a creation of Pakistan — are also a way for the Pakistan Army to maintain deniability for its role in cross-border terrorism. Rawalpindi has also long sought to blame India for its own crises in managing discontents in places like Balochistan and along the Durand Line. An attack in Kashmir is a way to assuage a small but important constituency within Pakistan’s armed and intelligence forces.AdvertisementFor New Delhi and Srinagar, the task ahead is complex but clear. First, the intelligence network — especially HUMINT — must be strengthened. It remains the surest way of preventing attacks. Second, social cohesion and respect for diversity remain India’s greatest strengths and should be seen as assets in the battle against radicalisation. Third, security forces and the Centre must involve the government and parties of J&K in the fight against terrorism. While the guilty must be brought to book, the campaign against terrorism mustn’t punish innocent people. Ensuring that there is no fertile soil for false propaganda from across the border to take root is one of the surest defences against the terrorists’ agenda.