CID's Hrishikesh Pandey on Pahalgam Terror attack: There has to be a strong reply to this

Time of India

25-04-2025

The entire country is still recovering from the shock of the barbaric terrorist attack in Pahalgam recently. Actor
Hrishikesh Pandey
, who is known for his show C.I.D, offers his condolences, adding that major steps need to be taken to stop such terrible attacks.
'First of all, my condolences are with the family—the ones who lost their family members. It's really, really sad. Since I come from an army background, we have lived in Pathankot, Kufwala, and those places near the border. So I know how the situation was earlier also, being an army kid. At times, 1–2 small deaths were also not covered by the news channels, and people didn't know about it too. Now times have changed, and we get to know about it,' he says.
He adds, 'There was a time my brother was also posted there, at the Kufwala border. I've not seen these kinds of shootouts, killings and bombings it is experienced. We used to hear from him every single day or every other day. These kinds of news and stories came from him because he was there and had experienced it all. So, in our family, we heard it through him, we were aware of the environment because he was posted there. That atmosphere naturally became part of our family discussions.
We didn't have any other relatives, friends, or colleagues in that area, so all the information came from him. So it's really sad. So, we have to keep our morale up always, no matter what .'
He adds that
Kashmir tourism
has been flourishing. 'People had started going there, our shootings were happening there and, you know, people were back to leading a normal life. Now, it depends on the government and what action they take. There has to be a strong reply to this.
This is what I can say. It's a very, very sad thing, and yes, this is what I can say,' he says.
The actor says that we need to stop losing innocent lives. 'Innocent people die in all these kinds of things—innocent people are killed for their selfish motives. Everybody wants happiness at the end of the day, and it's very, very important to educate people. I'm not talking about our people in this—I'm talking about the terrorists.
Once you are educated, then you understand feelings and emotions and family values and ethics.
So you'll never do something like this. It's the lack of education, which is so important—for people. You cannot blindly trust whatever you are told, and that is what these people do,' he says.
This kind of attack must be dealt with a united front, says the actor. 'Also, I feel personally that the politicians should not start doing their politics again. It has to be mutually decided. Everybody should come together in situations like this and fight. I think it's high time people should understand, and come out with a solution instead of blaming each other,' he says.