Pahalgam Terror Attack: Not the time to fight.
Pahalgam terror attack today: a call for unity.
“Agar firdaus bar ru-ye zamin ast
Hamin ast-o hamin ast-o hamin ast
If there is heaven on earth
It is this, it is this, it is this!”
In the 14th century, Sufi poet Amir Khusro recited these unforgettable lines.
Despite seven centuries passing, no one lucky enough to glimpse Kashmir has disagreed with Khusro.
Imagine blue skies, pine trees, and endless mountains reached only by majestic ponies—a scene straight out of your dreams. This is the Baisaran meadows.
Disclaimer: This article reflects on a tragic event and its aftermath. Quotes from social media are included only to illustrate public reaction and do not represent the author’s views.
Trigger Warning: Communal violence, terrorism, hate speech.
Note: Links to all facts and quotes mentioned are attached at the end.
Pahalgam Terror Attack
On the afternoon of May 22, 2025, gunmen opened fire at Baisaran meadows in Pahalgam, Kashmir. Twenty-five tourists lost their lives, and sixteen more were injured.
Eyewitnesses say the attackers forced people to give their names and recite religious phrases. This indicates they picked victims based on faith.
Who’s behind the Pahalgam Terror Attack?
The Resistance Front, a shadow terror group of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, on Saturday denied involvement in the Pahalgam terror attack—despite having initially claimed responsibility—as widespread protests by Kashmiris erupted across the Valley. (News18)
However, it did not take long for people to set aside logic and blame all of Islam for the Pahalgam Terror Attack.
Beneath a post about this couple’s experience in Kashmir, netizens wrote vile comments expressing their misdirected hatred :
“This world would be a better place with one less religion”
“And people still say, terrorism has no religion.”
“Terrorism has only one religion,” people said, ignoring that religion is never a cause of violence, but man.
Such comments ignore the many innocent lives, including Muslims, lost to communal riots every year. The pain of one community does not erase the suffering of another.
The unsung hero of Pahalgam
Syed Adil Hussain was the only Muslim killed that day. He was a local pony rider who tried to wrestle the weapon away from an attacker and was shot three times.
People covering under Instagram comment sections while lying on their comfortable sofas can never display an ounce of the courage or sacrifice Syed displayed.
He was the sole breadwinner of his family. He could have walked out of there unharmed. Yet he chose to fight. He chose to sacrifice his life. He displayed a level of humanity that today’s politicians and social media warriors cannot even dare to feel.
Syed proves that sins done in the name of religion reflect the sinner, not the religion. I believe that true religion, in its purest form, has never condoned violence.
I belong to the religion that preaches “Whoever kills an innocent soul, it is as if they have killed all of mankind”— Quran 5:32.
Every morning, I recite a Hindu prayer in school, ending with: “Lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu.” May all beings everywhere be happy.
And Christ teaches: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (John 13:34)
In Islam, Hinduism, and Christianity, every true faith calls us to love, not hate.
Misdirected Anger & Dangerous Words
Comments like “It’s high time for ISRAEL treatment” or “Wipe out whole Pakistan” flooded social media — such violent talk has no place in a civilised society. These words are not just hateful; they are dangerous.
If your response to violence is more violence, then you are no better than those behind the Pahalgam terror attack.
Nothing justifies wishing genocide, glorifying rape, bombing, or looting, and taking inspiration from an event that killed tens of thousands.
The Oxford Dictionaries defines “terrorism” as the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, particularly against civilians, to achieve political aims. Wishing for death on innocent children, selfless mothers, and hardworking fathers is embracing the same logic as terrorists.
We must rise above such thinking, not mirror it.
Palestine vs Pahalgam?
Certain netizens even asked: “Where are the free Palestinians now?”
Here.
I stand with Palestine, and I stand with Pahalgam. My empathy does not discriminate based on religion or race. Neither should yours.
How did the Kashmiris respond to the Pahalgam Terror Attack?
Baisaran meadows are isolated; ponies are the only way in. Local Kashmiris carried injured tourists on their backs, even though they were terrified themselves.
“We felt scared, but if we’d kept the fear in my mind, we couldn’t have helped them.”
“First comes humanity and then comes Dharam. We saw that they were humans like us. It was our Faraz (duty) at the time…even if you were there instead of me, you would have risked your life to save them.”
“How can we tear our chests and show people what we are going through? I fold my hands and ask you not to fall into any misunderstanding…. The news is showing this and that. Even a Kashmiri bhaiyya has lost his life; we want to say that. What is wrong is wrong.”
—Sajad Ahmad Bhatt (NDTV Interview)
Where airline companies saw a business opportunity and hiked their prices, Kashmiri autowalas prioritised humanity and gave free rides to tourists.
For the first time in 35 years, Kashmir observed a complete shutdown in protest of the Pahalgam terror attack. Loudspeakers in the mosques appealed to the people to join the shutdown, and spontaneous protests hit the streets.
When asked for their thoughts on the issue, most responded with the same sentiment:
We are known for our hospitality all around the world. This wasn’t just an attack on tourists but on every Kashmiri. We can’t control our tears, our families are in pain.
We’re sorry for what has happened, our heads hang in shame. Don’t mistrust us.
This is a matter of humanity.
How did the rest of India respond?
Tourism is a lifeline for Kashmir. The Pahalgam Terror Attack threatens livelihoods. Kashmiris feel unsafe on their own soil.
But instead of standing with them, many across India blame them for the tragedy. Calls to “boycott Kashmir” and accusations of playing the “victim card” spread online.
Kashmiri students across India are allegedly facing harassment after the Pahalgam Terror Attack.
Some claim that such violence couldn’t have occurred without local support.
They point accusatory fingers at grieving Kashmiris. They ask them to pay the price for somebody else’s crime.
It is easy to hide behind screens and speak of justice. But it is not easy to be a normal Kashmiri and get through life in today’s circumstances. It is easy to see the “Switzerland of India”, the “Heaven of Earth” in movies and pictures. But it is a million times more difficult to live there.
As Indians, we always claim that Kashmir is ours. But maybe we do not deserve a heaven on earth if we abandon its angels in their darkest hours.
A Wake-up Call
By fighting in the name of religion, we hand terrorists a divided nation and vulnerable people. Hatred does not honour the dead—it betrays them.
- When will we realise that prosperity lies in unity?
- When will we stop making hell in the name of god?
- When will we join hands to make India a true “Heaven on Earth”?
sources
- The Hindu | Pahalgam terror attack: A tribute to the victims.
- The Hindu | Pahalgam terror attack: The meadow cries out in fear and grief.
- News 18 | Lashkar Affiliate TRF Denies Role In Pahalgam Attack Amid Massive Protests By Kashmiris.
- India Today | Syed Adil Hussain: Hero Pahalgam pony ride operator who tried to stop terrorist.
- YouTube – NDTV | Pahalgam Attack | Pahalgam Hero Who Carried Injured Boy On His Back: ‘Humanity Before Religion’
- NDTV | “Head Hangs In Shame”: Massive Kashmir Protests Against Pahalgam Attack
- The Print | ‘Dear India, I am sorry’, says a Kashmiri over Pahalgam terror attack
- YouTube – India Today | Kashmiri Students Allegedly Facing Harassment Across India After Pahalgam Terror Attack
- Instagram – @kashmircrown | Auto drivers in Kashmir give free rides to tourists
- Instagram – @go_kashmir_tour_travels | Protests in Lal Chowk, Srinagar
- Instagram – @thetatvaindia | Last video of Karnataka’s Manjunath Rao with his wife
“My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together.”
– Desmond Tutu
