Pahalgam hawker braved bullets, carried injured tourist on his back
NEW DELHI: In a heart-wrenching video that has gone viral on social media,
Sajad Ahmad Bhat
, a shawl hawker from Pahalgam, is seen carrying an injured tourist on his back to safety following the brutal
terror attack
in the
Baisaran Valley
on Tuesday killing 28 people.
Recounting the horrifying scene, Sajad shared that he and others rushed to the location after receiving a message from Abdul Waheed Wan, the president of the Pahalgam Pony Association.
— ANI (@ANI)
We reached the spot around 3pm and what i saw there was unforgettable — tourists crying, people pleading for help.
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"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," Sajad said.
Despite the chaos and the risks, Sajad and others gave water to the injured and helped those who couldn't walk, carrying many of them to safety and transporting them to nearby hospitals.
"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, " Sajad said.
Sajad also stated that it is our duty to help tourists and our livelihood depends on them. The arrival of tourists lights up the lamps in our homes. We didn't think of our own safety—because for us, humanity comes before religion.
"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, "
Sajad's brave and compassionate act has drawn widespread praise online, symbolizing the enduring spirit of Kashmir's hospitality even in times of tragedy.
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