'They Were Our Guests...': Kashmiris Respond to Hate With Warmth Post Pahalgam

Talking to The Quint, locals expressed their concern over a section of media trying to spread communal narratives.

At a time when polarisation is at its peak in mainstream media narratives, Kashmiris have opened the doors to their houses and offered solace to stranded tourists.

(Photo: Vibhushita Singh/Altered by The Quint)

Amid the cacophony of hate and polarisation on social media in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, a video of a Kashmiri man carrying an injured tourist on his back has gone viral. The man in the video is Sajad Ahmad Bhat, a shawl hawker from Pahalgam. He was among the first to respond on Tuesday, 22 April, when hundreds of tourists in Baisaran Valley were crying for help after terrorists left at least 26 dead and 17 injured, most of them tourists.

Baisaran, where the attack took place, is an hour-long trek from the main Pahalgam town in South Kashmir, accessible by foot or on horseback. It reportedly took authorities over an hour after the attack to finally reach the site and begin rescue operations.

Bhat, who had been nearby at the time, managed to reach the spot immediately. His swift response helped save lives. "It was our duty as Kashmiris to save them. This was murder of humanity," he said.

Bhat wasn't the only one to reach the site. Many in Pahalgam, especially those involved in the local tourism industry—pony-wallahs (pony guides), all-terrain vehicle (ATV) operators, and local shopkeepers—rushed to the spot to help out injured tourists.

“I was the one who brought the Navy officer (late Lieutenant Vinay Narwal) and his wife to the ambulance,” Irshad Ahmad, President of the Pahalgam ATV stand, told reporters. He said they took all their ATVs to Baisaran Valley, as it is a non-motorable road, and transported the bodies and other tourists to the hospital.

Pahalgam was bustling with tourists when the attack took place. As per local traders, there were over 15,000 tourists putting up in different hotels. All have since been evacuated, as per locals.

The sheer heinousness of the attack, however, sent shockwaves through the valley, leaving tourists in places like Gulmarg, Sonamarg, Srinagar, Doodhpathri, and other resorts in an initial state of panic as they scrambled to remove themselves from potential harm.

On Tuesday, the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, the only road connecting Kashmir to the rest of the country, was shut due to floods in the Ramban area, which lies on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway. The resulting traffic congestion added to further chaos, hampering the movement of tourists trying to evacuate. Many remained stranded in the Valley.

Nevertheless, at a time when polarisation is at its peak in mainstream media narratives, Kashmiris have opened the doors to their houses and offered solace to stranded visitors. They have set up food kiosks and many have offered their vehicles to help ferry tourists.

Broken Pieces of Hope: Kashmir Rises Against Hate

A day after the dastardly attack, Kashmir came to a standstill. On 23 April, thousands participated in Valley-wide protests and shutdown, including the business fraternity, private school associations, religious bodies, and political parties.

The shutdown was unlike anything seen before. Kashmiris came out, en masse, to protest and mourn the deaths of innocent tourists, whom they called their "guests". They held rallies and candlelight marches, unanimously condemning the massacre. All shops, business establishments, and schools across the 10 districts of Kashmir remained closed. Even public transport remained off the roads.

The protests were spontaneous. The anger appeared palpable, with people expressing their grief and outrage with placards, banners, posters, and slogans calling for justice and peace.

“This is the first time in over three decades that people from all walks of life in Kashmir have come together to register protest in such a manner against targeted killings,” said Bilal Ahmad, a resident of Srinagar.

Through these protests, Bilal told The Quint, the people of Kashmir wanted to send a clear message: that Kashmiris don't want innocent civilians to be killed.

On Wednesday, the solemn streets of Srinagar were dotted with harried tourists trying to get back home. Sheetal Gupta from West Bengal, who was in Pahalgam along with four others for a family vacation when the terrorists opened fire, narrated the incidents of the hours following the attack.

“On Tuesday, there was chaos everywhere. We couldn’t connect with our driver and we were really scared. My husband then called his Kashmiri friend who lives in Srinagar, and he drove all the way to Pahalgam. He reached by midnight and drove us out of there."

Sheetal Gupta, Tourist

“We couldn’t believe we left the place alive,” she said while speaking to The Quint in Srinagar. Initially scheduled to return home on 27 April, the family decided to cut their trip short.

Many of the tourists, including survivors of the attack The Quint spoke with, thanked the local Kashmiri population for their generosity and warmth at a testing time.

Even as the Valley was shut down in protest, locals were seen distributing fruits, water, and other essentials to tourists at multiple locations, especially in South Kashmir. Autorickshaws and taxis were providing free rides to tourists heading to the Srinagar International Airport and railway station.

Kashmiri locals,  members of Keegam Youth Trust offering fruits and essential supplies to stranded tourists in Srinagar on 23 April.

(Photo: Auqib Javeed/The Quint)

“Since the Valley was shut, we pooled money from our own pockets and bought fruits, water, and other items to distribute among the tourists rushing toward the airport,” said Bashrat Maqbool, a resident of South Kashmir’s Shopian district and leader of a social welfare group called the Keegam Youth Trust.

The survivors of the attack also acknowledged the help of Kashmiri Muslims. One of them, Arvind Agrawal, a leader with the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP's) youth wing, expressed his gratitude towards one Nazakat Ahmad Shah, a 28-year-old pony guide and Pahalgam resident, who saved his life.

'No Justification'

Kashmiris have expressed their anger and disagreement on social media and stressed on need for the authorities to bring the accused to justice. “This is very unfortunate and no one can justify the killing of a civilian,” Gulzar Mir, a trader from Srinagar, said.

In Jammu division—the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir—a complete bandh was observed by the traders. Different groups held protest marches against the terror attack. “Kashmiris feel that this kind of attack on innocent people shouldn’t have happened, irrespective of whatever difference they may have with New Delhi,” Srinagar-based political analyst Shabir Ahmad told The Quint.

He argued that unlike the anti-Kashmiri propaganda being spread online, Kashmiris who themselves are "victims of protracted violence", don’t want violence to be inflicted on others.

“This shows the kind of essence Kashmiris have, what we call Kashmiriyat".

Shabir Ahmad, Political Analyst

Shoaib Mehraj, a resident of Srinagar who opened his home to tourists, told The Quint that he felt deeply saddened upon hearing about the attack and simply wanted to do his part to help.

"We aren’t responsible for it but since this attack happened in Kashmir, we feel we owe an apology to our guests."

Shoaib Mehraj, Resident, Srinagar

Mohammad Nazir, a member of the Lalrukh Rickshaw Association, Srinagar, said that tourists are their primary source of livelihood, and the attack has left them pained and concerned. “After a meeting, we decided to keep our stalls open and offered everything free of cost for tourists," Nazir said. “We transported at least 60 tourists to Srinagar Airport, free of charge," Nazir told The Quint.

Representatives from the Tour and Taxi Operators Association, Hoteliers Association, Radio Taxi Association of J&K, and the Auto Rickshaw Association, held symbolic protests at various locations across the region. In Srinagar, the People's Democratic Party (PDP) held a protest at Lal Chowk, with party president and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti leading the demonstration. Carrying black flags and banners, PDP workers raised slogans against terrorism and expressed sorrow over the loss of innocent lives. The ruling National Conference (NC) also led a protest rally against the attack.

At the same time, people expressed their concern over a section of national media trying to spread communal narratives.

Such narratives have fuelled right-wing groups to attack, harass, and abuse Kashmiri students studying in different parts of the country.

Addressing a press conference in Srinagar, leading hoteliers and tourism industry stakeholders in Jammu and Kashmir appealed to national media outlets to refrain from spreading misleading narratives about the recent attack in Pahalgam.

“No tourist has ever been harmed in Kashmir in the past, and the entire local tourism community shares the grief of those affected by the recent incident,” they said. 

Streets of Sorrow

Back in Pahalgam, the streets wore a deserted and restive look, a day after the attack. Most tourists were evacuated on the first day, while the remaining were escorted to the airport on Wednesday. Nearly 1,500 locals with past criminal records have been arrested on suspicion in connection to the attacks since Tuesday. The fear of state retaliation hangs heavy. The community of tourism industry stakeholders has been trying to remain optimistic, despite the odds.

Pahalgam market remained deserted, a day after the attack.

(Photo: Auqib Javeed/The Quint)

“We aren’t bothered about our business. We are more concerned about the innocent lives that were lost. This should not have happened, and it should not happen again."

Irshad Ahmad, President, Pahalgam ATV association

About 20 kilometers from Pahalgam, the family members of Syed Adil Hussain Shah, the 28-year-old pony-wallah allegedly killed by militants after he tried to save the tourists he was accompanying, were yet to come to terms with their son's death.

Syed Haider Shah, father of Adil Hussain killed in Pahalgam attack.

(Photo: Auqib Javeed/The Quint)

Shah was the only breadwinner of his family. Coming from a poor background, Shah couldn’t afford a horse of his own and used to work by renting horses from others to earn a living. He is survived by a wife and elderly parents. He was the only Kashmiri Muslim killed in the attack. 

“He used to earn Rs 6,000-8,000 per month and we all were dependent on him,” the victim's father, Syed Haider Shah, 60, told The Quint. The family said that Shah's loss is irreparable but they take pride in his "heroic act” of confronting the militants. “We are proud of what he did. I hope things get better soon,” the grieving father said.

(Auqib Javeed is an independent Srinagar-based journalist. He tweets at @AuqibJaveed).