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Amid the horrific terror attack that struck Baisaran Valley in Pahalgam on Tuesday, local residents Sajad and Irshad Ahmad displayed extraordinary bravery by rushing to rescue injured tourists, risking their own lives in the process.
Sajad, a local Shawl hawker, narrated how he and others mobilised immediately after receiving a message from their Pony Association President, Abdul Waheed Wan. "We reached around 3 PM. We gave water to the injured and carried those who couldn't walk. I lifted an old man on my shoulders. Humanity comes before religion. These tourists are our guests--our livelihood depends on them," he said emotionally. "When I saw them crying, tears welled up in my eyes. Their arrival lights up the lamps in our houses." Irshad Ahmad, president of the ATV Stand in Pahalgam, described how he and his team rode their all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) up the non-motorable path to reach the victims. "We've been carrying security forces and police officers to the valley for the last two days. I was the one who took Navy officer Lieutenant Vinay Narwal and his wife to the ambulance. I checked his pulse--he had died--but I told his wife he was alive to give her hope. I cried four times seeing the scene. We never want such a tragedy to happen in Kashmir again." Mushtaq Pahalgami, President of the Guest House Owners Association and a well-known social-environmental activist, commended the efforts of the rescuers. "Everyone in Kashmir is numb and crying. In my lifetime, I have never witnessed such a tragedy. People like Irshad and Sajad risked their lives to help strangers. More than 300 of our youth came forward at the hospital, ready to donate blood to the injured. That is the spirit of Kashmir." The attack, which took place on Tuesday, claimed 26 lives, was one of the deadliest in the Valley since the 2019 Pulwama strike in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed. The attack was one of the biggest terror attacks in the region after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. In response, the Central government announced on Wednesday the closure of Attari ICP, reducing the strength of High Commissions in India and Pakistan to 30 officials each, and suspended the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) visas. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said, "Any SVES visas issued in the past to Pakistani nationals are deemed cancelled. Any Pakistani national currently in India under an SVES visa has 48 hours to leave India." (ANI)
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