These words, spoken by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a visit to Ahmedabad this week, show clear parallels to a famous dialogue in a recently released Bollywood movie based on the 2016 ‘surgical strikes’ ordered by the Modi government to eliminate terrorists in Pakistani-occupied Kashmir.

Modi invoked this emotive language just days after India conducted airstrikes against Pakistan, which led to a major skirmish along the ‘line of control’ (the de facto border between the two countries in Kashmir). While the details of what exactly happened remain murky, and the question of whether India’s airstrikes were successful is being hotly debated, it’s undeniable that India’s retaliation (framed as ‘pre-emptive non-military action’) after the Pulwama terrorist attack has provided a strong impetus to Modi’s Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party’s bid for the upcoming Indian election.

Please click here to read the full “The impact of the Kashmir crisis on the Indian election” article at the Strategist, written by Griffith Asia Institute Research Assistant, Aakriti Bachhawat.