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News18
30-04-2025
- News18
Valley 'United Against Terror': Is Pahalgam Attack Kashmir's Watershed Moment?
Last Updated: Lal Chowk and Dal Lake felt different - free tea and fruits for tourists and 'United Against Terror' posters were seen where once anti-India messages stood. A week after 26 people were killed in a terror attack in Baisaran, Pahalgam, the picturesque tourist destination is like a ghost town. The tell tale signs of what lies in store begin as you board the flight to Srinagar. On a flight with 230 seating capacity, 70 passengers were traveling, mostly Kashmiris who were going back home or people like us travelling for official reasons. The cabin crew says the number was about 60 for Srinagar-Delhi flight. And this has remained the average over the past four-five days. A day after the terror attack, Srinagar airport had seen 110 flights land and take off. One of the passengers on an April 23 early morning flight to Srinagar said he had paid Rs 40,000 for a Delhi-Srinagar flight. The cost from Raipur to Delhi was additional. Yet it all seemed less compared to the price his brother had paid with his life. Naresh Agarwal was traveling to get Dinesh's mortal remains and his widow home. Prices have stabilised since then after Civil Aviation Ministry intervened but the tourist is staying away. Watershed moment for Kashmir The Pahalgam attack is a watershed moment for Kashmir. In so many years of covering terrorism in the valley, I haven't seen locals hold posters saying – United Against Terror. I have seen youngsters block highways, pelt stones after Burhan Wani was killed. I have seen them silent when Pulwama attack killed CRPF men. I have seen them locked down post the abrogation of Article 370. But April 2025 was different. At Lal Chowk, just next to the famous clock tower, posters offered free tea, coffee and biscuits to tourists. Once the same space was used to put up anti-India posters. On Dal Lake, a shikara wala offered free fruits to tourists. They all had 'United Against Terror posters' hanging from the boats. No government agency had prodded them to do so. No candle light march was orchestrated. Even the 'we are sorry' sound bytes didn't seem forced. Srinagar: Fruit vendor has started offering free fruit to tourists in shikara at Dal Lake — News18 JKLH (@News18Kashmir) April 29, 2025 In Pahalgam on Friday, the fourth day after the attack, the protest post Jumma namaz seemed organic. The pony wallahs, the drivers, the hotel owners were genuinely worried about their bread and better. No tourist would impact them economically, but were these protests just influenced by economic factors? Would Adil sacrifice his life only to save his daily bread? It looked like a genuine horror that Kashmiris were feeling at the manner the tourists were killed. This seems the very reason, perhaps, why The Resistance Front was forced to retract from its earlier claim of carrying out the Pahalgam attack. In a belated retraction, the Lashkar front claimed that they were victims of a cyber attack. The reality is terror groups and their Pakistani aakas are on a backfoot, not estimating the kind of reaction from the average Kashmiri that we saw. Post script – A change in mood, however, could be noticed as houses of alleged terrorists were demolished one after the other within three days of of the attack. In Murran, Pulwama, neighbours of Lashkar terrorist Ehsan Ul Haq asked, 'We were with you, standing shoulder to shoulder in condemning Pahalgam terror attack. Why punish us?" All the houses next to Haq's family home suffered extensive damage. Most will be unliveable for some time. The same sentiments of 'Why punish us for deeds of someone who no longer lives here' echoed from Tral, Bijbhera and Shopian too. top videos View all Will the collateral damage be forgiven on the altar of 'Pahalgam horror'? Is 'United Against Terror" here to stay as a sentiment in Kashmir? Pahalgam could indeed be Kashmir's watershed moment. First Published:
Indian Express
25-04-2025
- Indian Express
Pahalgam attack: Punjab universities step up vigil amid alleged attacks on Kashmiri students
Educational institutions across Punjab have heightened vigilance following alleged incidents where Kashmiri students in other states were targeted in the aftermath of Pahalgam terror attack. Two such alleged cases have been reported in Punjab—one in Kharar and another in Dera Bassi, according to the president of National Students' Union of India (NSUI). The Central University of Punjab, Bathinda, that has around 2,800 students, including nearly 85 from Kashmir, has stepped up alert, despite no untoward incident. 'Our campus is very prosperous. No such issue has occurred here,' Sanjeev Thakur, director of Students' Welfare, said. At Baba Farid Group of Institutions, Bathinda, Harpal Singh, Deputy Director, said that an awareness lecture was held on April 23—a day after the Pehalgam attack—addressed by Heena Singh, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Rural), along with other officials. 'The lecture focused on the importance of unity in diversity. Our hostel wardens have been instructed to remain vigilant, but no specific instructions are being issued to students as the situation remains peaceful,' he added. Meanwhile, Isherpreet Singh Sidhu, NSUI president, Punjab unit, told The Indian Express: 'Two female students were harassed by some boys a day after the Pehalgam attack while they were returning to their PG after college in Kharar. The boys referenced the Pahalgam incident. I also received distress calls from students studying in a college in Dera Bassi.' He said terrorism has no religion. 'We must maintain communal harmony in Punjab. We are committed to protecting our sisters, daughters, and even guests from other states. Students facing any harassment can reach out to me directly.' He, however, alleged that local police have not yet taken appropriate action against the miscreants involved. The Indian Express tried contacting Deepak Parekh, Senior Superintendent of Police, Mohali, but he couldn't be reached out. Punjab is home to several institutions that attract students from Jammu and Kashmir. Kashmiri students are also enrolled in private medical colleges in Bathinda and other parts of Punjab. Several educational institutions in Punjab also conduct seminars in Jammu and Kashmir to encourage enrolment from the region. In October 2021, a clash had occurred between students from Bihar and Kashmir in the hostel of the same institution following an India-Pakistan cricket match. However, the issue was resolved swiftly by the college management within a couple of days. Meanwhile, the J&K students of Aryans Group of Colleges, Chandigarh, paid tributes to the victims of Pahalgam terror attack at Dal Lake, Srinagar, on Friday. In a gesture of solidarity, they organised a tribute ceremony on 26 Shikaras at Dal Lake, displaying posters 'United Against Terror.' Mudasir Ahmad Sheikh, Aryans coordinator, said, Aryans Group Chandigarh has a diverse student strength from around 20 states. 'Aryans Group would provide free accommodation to any student facing difficulties until the situation normalized, he said in a statement.
