Tanvir Sadiq: ‘Kashmiris Are Not Your Enemy’

It was a regular spring afternoon in Srinagar when the news from Pahalgam shook our souls. Ironically, that very day, a BJP MP was in the city, loudly celebrating the “return of tourists” as a marker of “normalcy.” As he spoke of packed gardens and bustling hotels, I sat restless and uneasy.

Just then, a journalist from a national channel walked into my office:

“We need your reaction.”

“On what?” I asked.

“Some tourists have been attacked… some are injured.”

At that moment, I couldn’t help but think, why is peace in Kashmir always reduced to tourist numbers? Why is our dignity, our collective yearning for normalcy, so narrowly measured by hotel bookings and garden footfalls? It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand: when you keep shouting about peace in a land that still bleeds, you endanger the very people you celebrate. Our enemies, always watchful, see it as a challenge, and they strike.

And then, the unimaginable happened. The terror attack in Baisaran Valley on April 22, 2025, was unlike anything we have seen in recent years. In one brutal, senseless moment, 26 precious lives, most of them tourists, were lost. It wasn’t just an attack on individuals; it was an assault on our collective soul. The scenes were horrifying. They sent shivers down the spine of the nation. The country was angry. So were the people of Jammu and Kashmir. The hurt was personal. The pain was ours too.

Yet, amid the grief, something extraordinary unfolded. Without a call, without a slogan, without a leader라이브 바카라 command, Kashmiris spontaneously shut down. Shops closed, businesses fell silent, schools mourned. The entire Valley, from villages to towns, descended into a collective moment of sorrow.

For the first time in living memory, the historic Jama Masjid in Srinagar stood in complete silence for a full minute, a rare, profound act of prayer and reflection. Kashmir spoke, loudly, clearly, fearlessly: We condemn terrorism. We reject violence. We mourn with our nation.

And in that silence, something even more powerful was heard: the humanity of Kashmiris, often forgotten, often maligned, was shining through. Nobody talked about economic loss. No one counted business hits. The only thing people spoke about was the loss of life, raw, human pain.

It showed that Kashmir is not broken. It is resilient. It is humane. It is proud. And it will rise again.

In the heart of that tragedy stood a name we must never forget: Syed Adil Hussain Shah, a 30-year-old ponywallah from Pahalgam. Adil, the sole breadwinner for his family, spent his days ferrying tourists to the lush meadows of Baisaran. That day began like any other. But when terrorists attacked, Adil did not run. He fought back. He even tried to snatch a terrorist라이브 바카라 weapon to defend his guests, the very tourists he welcomed with a smile. He paid for that courage with his life. Adil was the only Kashmiri killed that day. His sacrifice embodies the true spirit of Kashmiriyat, bravery, hospitality, sacrifice, not the distorted images you see screamed across primetime television.

But Adil was not alone. There were many “Adils” that day, countless brave individuals who helped rescue thousands, carrying the injured back from Baisaran to Pahalgam, sometimes on their own backs. These were the unsung heroes whose courage and humanity deserve to be acknowledged. They too need the pat on the back that they have truly earned.

In the days that followed, hundreds came out, and like others, I too joined in a candlelight vigil along the banks of the Dal Lake. Hotel owners, students, shopkeepers, political workers, all stood together, holding candles and banners that carried one simple, powerful message:

Kashmiris are not your enemy. We are part of India라이브 바카라 soul.

The terrorists tried to divide us at Pahalgam. They failed. Instead, they united Kashmir and the rest of India, across religions, across languages, across regions, in shared grief and shared pride.

But even as Kashmir stood shoulder to shoulder with the nation, painful news began to trickle in: Kashmiri students, businessmen, and travellers were being attacked across India. Shocked and heartbroken, I kept asking myself, what crime had they committed except being Kashmiri?

Thankfully, calmer voices prevailed, and these attacks were curbed. Yet the scars remain.

Many young Kashmiris today ask bitterly: “If we stand against terror, why are we treated like terrorists?”

In the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack, security forces demolished at least eight houses of alleged militants and detained hundreds across Kashmir. Let me be clear: no Kashmiri worth his name supports terrorism. If anyone has committed a crime, they must be brought to justice and face the law. But why punish their families? Why destroy the homes where innocent parents, children, and siblings live? What wrong have they done? Justice must be about accountability, not collective suffering. In our pain, we ask, how does wrecking a family라이브 바카라 shelter bring peace?

The days and months ahead will be crucial, especially with the tensions that persist between two neighbouring countries. Everyone wants peace, and rightly so. But peace is a two-way street. The responsibility does not lie on India alone. Pakistan too must rise above empty slogans and match words with action. The world today demands results, not rhetoric.

I must say this with complete honesty: I do not wish to politicize tragedy. But the truth must be spoken, the absence of a fully empowered, elected state government in Jammu and Kashmir is a deep, ongoing failure. Security is not just about guns and bunkers. It is about trust. It is about partnership with the people. Only an elected government has the emotional connection to make every Kashmiri a guardian of peace. Without it, law enforcement risks becoming a faceless machine, disconnected, vulnerable, ineffective.

And finally, as I finish writing this piece, something historic has taken place, something unprecedented in the history of modern India.

For the first time ever, a Legislative Assembly, our own Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, convened a special session solely to condemn the attack in Pahalgam. The government moved a resolution, and the entire House, cutting across political lines, rose together to unequivocally denounce the violence. In one clear, powerful voice, they declared: “Not in our name.”

This should leave no doubt in anyone라이브 바카라 mind: Jammu and Kashmir, home to 13.73 million people, has unambiguously rejected violence and condemned, without hesitation, the barbarity that unfolded in Pahalgam.

(Views expressed are personal)

Tanvir Sadiq is the chief spokesman of JKNC and MLA Zadibal

This article is part of 바카라라이브 바카라 May 11, 2025 issue, covering the Pahalgam terror attack and the old wounds it has reopened. It appeared in print as ‘Kashmiris Are Not Your Enemy’.