India is set to take the offensive in Washington, using a high-profile exhibition on Capitol Hill to spotlight what it describes as Pakistan’s long-standing role in sponsoring terrorism. Timed with the anniversary of the Pahalgam attack, the exhibition will revisit some of the most devastating terror incidents, including the Mumbai attacks, and directly call out the groups believed to be behind them.
Washington: Marking one year since the Pahalgam terror attack, the Indian Embassy in the United States will host a pointed exhibition on Tuesday at Capitol Hill, aiming to expose Pakistan-sponsored terrorism in stark terms. India’s Ambassador to the US, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, will inaugurate the exhibition titled “The Human Cost of Terrorism,” which is expected to underline the human suffering caused by such attacks.
The event comes at a moment when Pakistan is attempting to position itself internationally as a promoter of peace amid the ongoing US–Iran conflict that began on 28 February—an image India appears determined to challenge head-on.
The exhibition revisits the 22 April attack in Pahalgam last year, when terrorists linked to Pakistan-based organisations opened fire on tourists in the Baisaran Valley in Jammu and Kashmir, killing 25 Indians and one Nepali citizen. In the aftermath, India launched “Operation Sindoor,” targeting what it described as terrorist infrastructure across the border.
This is not the first such diplomatic push. India had earlier mounted a similar exhibition at the United Nations headquarters in July last year, even as Pakistan held the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council.
The upcoming digital showcase at Capitol Hill will catalogue major global terror attacks, including the 1993 Mumbai serial bombings, the 2008 Mumbai attacks, and the Pahalgam attack. It will also explicitly name the organisations accused of carrying them out, including Pakistan-based groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba—seeking to reinforce India’s case on an international stage.
