By: Ikkz Ikbal
In the aftermath of the brutal attack on innocent tourists at Pahalgam, Kashmir isn’t just counting its dead; it is counting the wounds carved into its soul. Blood stained the meadows that once sold postcards of peace. In a place where every breeze once whispered, fear now lingers like a bad aftertaste. Markets stayed half-shut, hearts stayed fully broken, and a question hung heavier than the mountains: Who profits from this? As families mourn strangers they had never met, a valley known for hospitality wrestles with a shame that was never its own doing.
It is time — not just to mourn, not just to condemn — but to build a wall of justice so tall that no hand of terror can ever scale it again. Punish the guilty, show them no mercy; chase them to the edges of the earth if you must. But in doing so, let not a single innocent soul be crushed under the boots of rage.
Let no child walk in fear because of a crime they did not commit. Let no mother weep because justice mistook her son for a statistic. In our pursuit of justice, let us not become what we despise. Let our anger be fierce, but our fairness fiercer for if we allow innocent hearts to become collateral damage, then we hand victory to those who traded humanity for hatred.
As common Kashmiri’s, we believe the attack in Pahalgam wasn’t just a crime against individuals, it was a dagger aimed at the soul of Kashmir itself, our hospitality, our dignity, peace and harmony. Those who opened fire were butchers, nothing more. And their goal was to plant terror, breed suspicion, and ignite an unending fire of hate. But let’s not be fooled as the real danger is not just in the gunfire but it lies in what follows — when hate is recycled, magnified, and weaponized against an entire community. When we, the victims of one act of cruelty, become participants in another!
Think carefully — when you target Kashmiri students, harass Kashmiri shopkeepers, mistrust the Kashmiri labourer, demolish houses— whose script are you acting out?
Whose evil agenda are you advancing?
We Kashmiris are hurting more than anyone else and feel the stabbing pain of betrayal as deeply as anyone else. The attack was not only against the tourists who lost their lives, but it was an assault on our dignity, our centuries-old hospitality, our dreams for peace.
The average Kashmiri carries a book in one hand and a prayer for peace in the other. They don’t dream of violence; they dream of futures where their children can live without gunfire and fear.
Today, we Kashmiris stand united in our condemnation of this barbarity and demand — and expect — a strong, swift, and transparent investigation. We demand justice, not revenge.
We want the true culprits exposed to daylight, punished not by mob anger but by the cold, firm hand of law.
We are tired of blood staining our rivers and carrying coffins instead of harvests. We are tired of proving our innocence every time a madman pulls a trigger. Yet, despite our wounds, we still open our hearts to those who wish to understand.
We still believe that love is stronger than hate and humanity conquers terror and that the truest act of resistance today is to refuse to become what we hate.
To those who feel rage burning inside them today —Channel it wisely, protect the innocent, protect the Kashmiri student far from home, protect the dreams that the bullets tried to kill yesterday.
Because when you choose compassion over cruelty and justice over mob vengeance- You don’t just save Kashmir — You save yourselves.
Let the memory of those lost not be dishonoured by more hate, more pain, more division. Let their memory fuel a collective stand for humanity, for peace, for justice.
The writer holds a Masters in Biotechnology and is Principal at Maryam Memorial Institute Pandithpora Qaziabad. He X’s @IkkzIkbal
