Two days after the devastating attack in Pahalgam that left 26 people dead and several others injured, local residents are sharing their harrowing experiences, highlighting the courage and compassion shown in the face of unimaginable tragedy.
Sajad Ahmad Bhat, a shawl hawker from Pahalgam, was captured on a viral video carrying an injured tourist to safety during the attack. Recalling the incident, Bhat said that he received a distress message from Abdul Waheed Wan, the president of the Pahalgam Poney Association, urging him to help the injured. Bhat, along with others, rushed to the site of the attack in the Baisaran Valley around 3:30 p.m., where they provided water to the injured and assisted those unable to walk.
Bhat said that helping the tourists was his duty. “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… When I saw the tourists crying, tears came to my eyes… Our life is incomplete without them.”
Irshad Ahmad, president of the Pahalgam ATV Stand, also played a key role in the rescue efforts. He received instructions to use all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) to access the non-motorable Baisaran Valley and assist with evacuations. Ahmad shared the emotional moment when he rescued Navy Officer Vinay Narwal, only to realize on the way to the ambulance that the officer had succumbed to his injuries. Ahmad concealed the truth from Narwal’s wife, telling her that her husband was still alive. “I cried four times,” Ahmad said, his voice heavy with emotion. “We don’t want such incidents ever to be repeated in our Kashmir.”
The aftermath of the attack is being felt deeply across Pahalgam, a town where tourism is the lifeblood of the local economy. A chef who has worked in the region for 30 years shared his distress, acknowledging that the attack has left him uncertain about his future. “My livelihood depends entirely on the tourists,” he said. “Now, I don’t know what I will do. The tourism season was going well, and all hotels were at full capacity. But now, the loss will not just be in crores but in billions.”
