Pahalgam terror attack: Meet Kashmiri shawl vendor who carried injured tourists on his back

Amid the brutal terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's scenic Baisaran Valley of Pahalgam on 22 April, killing 26 people, including both locals and visitors, a viral video is making the rounds on social media where a Kashmiri shawl hawker carried a tourist on his back.

The Kashmiri shawl hawker, identified as Sajad Ahmad Bhat, said: “Humanity comes before religion."

He mentioned that along with others, he immediately rushed to help those who were stranded after their Pahalgam Poney Association president, Abdul Waheed Wan, dropped a message, saying there was an ongoing terrorist attack.

Speaking to ANI, Sajad Ahmad Bhat said, "The Pahalgam Poney Association president, Abdul Waheed Wan, messaged in our group about the incident in Baisaran Valley. So we went with him and reached the location around 3 PM. We gave water to the injured and lifted those who could not walk.... Humanity comes before religion. It is our duty to help the tourists as they are our guests, and our livelihood depends on them. We brought many of them to the hospital"

He added, “We did not care about our own lives because when we went there, people were pleading for help... When I saw the tourists crying, tears came to my eyes... Their arrival lights up the lamps in our houses. Our life is incomplete without them...”

Earlier on 22 April, when tourists were enjoying their time in the scenic Baisaran Valley of Pahalgam, some terrorists opened fire and killed 26 people, including both locals and visitors. 

Among the victims are those from states like Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, West Bengal, Bihar, and Tamil Nadu.

Kashmir on 23 April observed a complete shutdown in a show of solidarity and outrage, as protests erupted across the region to condemn the brutal attack.

What PM Modi said:

Meanwhile, addressing a gathering in Bihar on Thursday, PM Modi said that he wants the world to know that India will identify and punish every terrorist.

He made it clear that those behind the Pahalgam terror attack and those part of the conspiracy will be punished beyond their imagination.

PM Modi said that the entire nation is saddened by the brutality with which terrorists killed innocent civilians, mostly tourists, in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir on 22nd April.

“Today, from the soil of Bihar, I say to the whole world India will identify, track, and punish every terrorist and their backers,” Modi said in English.

PM Modi also stated: "Terrorism will not go unpunished. Every effort will be made to ensure that justice is done. The entire nation is firm in this resolve."

How did India respond?

The decisions to downgrade diplomatic ties with Pakistan in view of cross-border links to the Pahalgam attack were taken in the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting chaired by PM Modi on April 23.

The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, is believed to be behind Tuesday's attack, a claim that Mint has not been able to verify so far. Some reports even suggested that a top Lashkar-e-Taiba commander, Saifullah Kasuri, alias Khalid, is believed to be the ‘mastermind’ of the attack. There has not been any official word on these claims yet.

Pakistan has, however, denied any involvement in the Pahalgam terror attack. “Pakistan has nothing to do with it (Pagalgam terror attack)," Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told a local TV channel on April 23.

With agency inputs.