During the attack in Pahalgam that killed at least 26 people, local cloth merchant Nazakat Ali became a hero by saving 11 tourists from Chhattisgarh’s Chirimiri.
Four friends—Shivansh Jain, Happy Badhawan, Arvind Agarwal, and Kuldeep Staphak—had brought their families to the Baisaran meadows near Pahalgam for a holiday on April 18. On the morning of April 22, a sudden landslide had blocked the roads, and hundreds of tourists were stranded. Suddenly, gunmen opened fire.
“My friends and families were frozen with fear,” said Arvind Agarwal, a member of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha and husband of BJP councilor Purva Staphak, who was also in the group. “Nazakat bhai did not panic. He put one child on his back, held another in his arms, and guided all of us to safety.”
Despite his own uncle, Adil Hussain Shah, being killed in the attack, Nazakat focused on helping others.
“He risked his life to save us,” said Arvind in a Facebook post. “We can never repay Nazakat bhai for what he did.”
Local resident Rakesh Parasr, uncle of one of the rescued families, praised Nazakat’s calm under pressure. “There were three children in my nephew’s family,” he said. “Nazakat took everyone to his lodge and sheltered us until we could leave safely for Chhattisgarh.”
Nazakat Ali, who sells warm clothes in Chirimiri each winter, had known these families for years. His quick action earned him gratitude and respect both in Kashmir and his home district of Sarguja. Local authorities and the people of Chhattisgarh are hailing him as an example of bravery and humanity.
