Dev 360 | Let’s Stay United: Don’t Let Pahalgam Killers Divide Us | Patralekha Chatterjee

On April 22, 2025, in Pahalgam -- a place known more for its breathtaking beauty than for bloodshed -- 26 lives were snuffed out in an appalling act of terrorism. Many others were injured. Most of the dead were Hindu civilians -- tourists who had come seeking beauty and serenity. What they found instead was brutality. What we must now find, as a nation, is resolve -- not just to mourn, but to stand united in defiance of those who seek to divide us.

The pain is deep.

Twenty-six individuals -- 25 tourists from various Indian states, and one foreign national from Nepal -- were massacred in cold blood. The victims hailed from Arunachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha, Gujarat, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Among the deceased were three Indian government officials: two recently married officers from the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy, and an official from the Intelligence Bureau. Additionally, a local Muslim pony operator was killed after reportedly trying to intervene against the attackers. A Christian tourist from Madhya Pradesh was also shot dead.

“The attack was horrific, tragic. We have never had an incident where this large number of innocent tourists have been massacred… It’s not as if it’s the first time Hindus have been targeted in J&K. The way it was done, separating Hindus and Muslims, keeping women aside, asking people to recite the Kalima (Islamic declaration of faith) -- these are all deliberate actions,” said Lt. Gen. Deependra Singh Hooda (Retd), a former Northern Army commander, in a recent newspaper interview.

India has taken a series of retaliatory measures against Pakistan, which denies any involvement in the attack. Prime Minister Narendra Modi says those behind the Pahalgam attack “will be served with the harshest response”.

Irrespective of what happens in the coming days, it is critical that we recognise the Pahalgam attack was not just an act of terror -- it was a message. The assault appears to have been carried out by Pakistan-backed outfits like Lashkar-e-Tayyaba or The Resistance Front. Their aim is clear: to destabilise Kashmir, to scare tourists, and above all, to fracture India from within by pitting Indian against Indian. They want to create fear. They want to create hate. We must not give in to them.

Yes, families are broken, communities are grieving, and the tourism industry in Kashmir, the lifeline for thousands, is rattled yet again. But amid the horror, there are other images. Other stories. In Baisaran valley, near Pahalgam, where the attack unfolded, it was local Kashmiri Muslims who first came to the aid of the wounded tourists. Some carried the injured down difficult terrain. Others gave shelter, food, and transport. Syed Adil Hussain Shah, a 20-year-old pony guide and the sole breadwinner of his family, was shot dead while trying to protect a tourist and disarm a terrorist. That act of courage alone should shatter the venomous narrative that paints entire communities with a single brush.

Academic Debasish Bhattacharya survived the massacre by reciting the Kalima, an Islamic declaration of faith, and later recalled the warmth and bravery of locals who helped save his life. “Our horse guide (pony riders) came searching for us. They came back for us. They found us, and took us back,” he told a television channel.

These stories are not side notes. They keep us tethered to foundational assumptions about India, to our shared humanity. Grief must not be weaponised to deepen the chasms in our society. Because, if we allow terrorists to determine how we see each other, then they have already won.

On April 23, Kashmir shut down in protest -- not in fear, but in solidarity with the victims.

Arguably, traders and farmers in Kashmir are anxious. Fields are being harvested prematurely, not because of weather, but out of fear that violence will return. “We must be prepared”, say local farmers. But preparedness must extend beyond agriculture and commerce, it must extend to our social fabric. There are green shoots of a people's longing for peace and normalcy.

Even as Kashmir is rising to show its humanity, troublingly, there have been reports about Kashmiri Muslim students being harassed in many parts of the country. In Dehradun, threats were issued. Social media brimmed with hate. The police had to intervene and file cases. There were similar reports from other states too. But what stood out were acts and words of ordinary Indians seeking to puncture the narrative of divisiveness.

“If we don’t speak out against those elements trying to target Kashmiri students just for their religion, then there will be no difference between us and the terrorist who killed innocent tourists after asking about their faith,” a young filmmaker in Dehradun told a journalist. The police registered a case against a right-wing activist who issued the video threatening Kashmiri Muslims to leave Dehradun or face the consequences.

Bigotry is not patriotism. It is cowardice disguised as courage. It weakens us from within. It plays directly into the hands of those who want to see India fractured and faltering on the global stage. National strength does not lie in outrage alone; it lies in the image we project: a nation bound not just by borders, but by a shared commitment to justice, compassion and unity.

Attacking or stigmatising people simply because of their faith, stigmatising Kashmiri Muslims in the country, if unchecked, could escalate into deeper communal tension in an already polarised nation, diverting focus from counter terrorism efforts and countering Pakistan’s narrative.

Pakistan’s military and political leadership, including Army chief Gen. Asim Munir, have emphasised the “two-nation theory”, framing Hindus and Muslims as inherently distinct to justify their stance on Kashmir. The harassment of young Kashmiris plays into this narrative.

India’s deep fault lines are no secret. But in dark and difficult times, it matters whether we look for what unites us or stoke fears over what divides us. India will project greater strength with images of social cohesion as it grapples with the aftermath of the appalling act of terrorism in Pahalgam.

We must grieve. We must demand accountability. Questions about possible security lapses are legitimate. We must also tell the full story: not just of the dead, but of the living who refused to let hate define them. In a moment of darkness, the people of Kashmir lit candles -- not just for the dead, but for peace. Terrorists wanted to provoke division. Let our response be defiant unity.

Heart-warmingly, many tourists are back in Kashmir.