By Aaqib Javid
What happened yesterday in Pahalgam will be etched into the memory of this valley for years to come.In the lap of Kashmir’s mountains an unimaginable act of violence unfolded. Armed infiltrators opened fire with no warning, no mercy, and no humanity indiscriminately targeting locals and tourists alike. Many lost their lives in a matter of moments. Families were torn apart and what remained was a shattered sense of calm in a region already exhausted by decades of pain.
While investigators are still trying to piece together who these attackers were and what agenda they followed, social media wasted no time in drawing its own conclusions. Before the facts could surface, a new storm of hate took over online platforms with many accusing the local Muslim community of supporting or sheltering the perpetrators.
As a Kashmiri, as a human being, I ask: how long must we bleed before someone hears us, not blames us?
The Horror on the Ground
Eyewitness accounts from the scene paint a picture that’s hard to even imagine. Screams echoed through the valley. Blood stained the earth that just hours before had seen children playing and tourists snapping pictures of the river flowing by. Among the many heartbreaking visuals circulating, one stood out in tears barely able to speak, describing how the terrorists questioned her husband’s identity. They said he “didn’t look like a Muslim” and shot him dead right in front of her.
This was not just an attack. This was a targeted massacre. A deliberate act to instill fear and to create division using religion as a weapon. And perhaps most dangerously to turn communities against one another. But as the bullets tore through bodies they didn’t distinguish between Hindu or Muslim, some of those killed were Kashmiri Muslims. Some were Hindu tourists. All were innocent.
A Valley Known for Warmth, Now Under Suspicion
What followed the attack has been just as devastating in a different way. Instead of unified grief and call for justice, the internet erupted with hate, hashtags blaming Muslims, trolling Kashmiris, and wild theories about “locals helping terrorists” began trending. It’s a story we’ve seen before, grief gets hijacked by propaganda and the victims are made suspects.
Let me say this with complete clarity that Kashmiris especially the Muslim community had no hand in this attack. We condemn this in the strongest terms possible. Not because we feel obligated to defend ourselves but because we are just as devastated. We are the ones lighting candles. We are the ones burying the dead and we are the ones being accused all at the same time.
Kashmiris are known across the world for their hospitality, for serving kehwa to strangers, for offering rooms to stranded travelers, for treating guests as family. It is simply impossible to believe that the same people would turn into monsters overnight. That narrative is not just false. It is malicious.
The Intent to Divide, But Not On Our Watch
This incident feels like a deliberate attempt to disturb the fragile social fabric that still holds Kashmir together. Over the years despite everything, Hindus and Muslims in the valley have lived side by side celebrated festivals together and mourned together. Attacks like this and the divisive response that follows seem designed to break that bond.
But it won’t work because we refuse to hate our neighbours. We know each other too well. We’ve shared food, laughter and pain. And now, we must share the burden of this tragedy not by blaming each other but by standing together.
Kashmiri Muslim leaders, social activists and citizens across the valley have publicly condemned the incident.Candlelight marches have been held not just by the public but also backed by political leaders, many of whom belong to the very communities being wrongfully accused. That unity matters. It shows the world that we are not divided, and we will not allow terrorists or hatefilled tweets to divide us.
This isn’t the first time Kashmiris have spoken out against terrorism. Every time such horror has struck whether from across the border or within the people of this land have risen to condemn it. We have mourned, marched, and we demand justice because we have suffered enough.
The Missing Conversation: Security Lapses
While blame is being thrown around so freely on the internet, very few are talking about something that desperately needs to be addressed that is “the lapse in security”.
Pahalgam is not just a local destination it’s one of the most popular tourist spots in Kashmir and it lies close to the border. With heavy footfall and a known risk of cross border infiltration, it should be under constant surveillance. Yet, according to multiple accounts, army bunkers in the region were either unmanned or inadequately staffed. There were reportedly no active patrols in the mountain zones where the attack took place.
Why weren’t troops stationed to safeguard the area especially when the flow of tourists has recently increased.
The role of the defence forces cannot be ignored in this situation. This isn’t about blaming them, it’s about accountability. The protection of civilians is the state’s responsibility. If gaps existed that allowed this attack to happen, those must be examined and addressed with urgency. We need answers and we need change.
A Cry for Peace and Dignity
More than anything, what Kashmiris want right now is peace. We are exhausted. For decades, we have lived under the constant fear of violence from one side or the other. We have lost lives, livelihoods and even our voices. But through it all we’ve kept hoping and hoping that one day we will be allowed to live freely and safely like everyone else. We are not asking for sympathy but for understanding. We are not asking for praise. We are asking for fairness.
And we are certainly not asking to be judged by the actions of murderers we had no part in protecting or supporting.
The government must introspect. The investigation must be swift, honest and transparent. And the narrative especially on digital platforms must be reshaped with facts not fears.
The victims of this attack were human beings. Their lives mattered. Their deaths must not be turned into political fodder. We must honour them by demanding truth and standing united not by deepening divides.
Final Words
Pahalgam is grieving. Kashmir is grieving. But amidst the mourning a dangerous fire of division is being lit. We, the people must be the ones to put it out not with more words but with actions, solidarity, empathy, and with courage.
Because no matter where we come from or what faith we follow, terrorism is our shared enemy and peace is our shared right.
Let’s not allow bullets to decide our futures. Let truth, justice and humanity lead us forward.
Aaqib Javid is a medical student in biotechnology from Trathpora, Kupwara, Kashmir
23 April 2025
Source: countercurrents.org