Imagine going to Kashmir, just to steal a few moments of joy with your loved ones, to laugh, to live, to make memories..and then returning as nothing more than a name in a headline , under a breaking news ticker. Isn’t this heartbreaking and painful? They were killed for being Hindu, not for a crime, not for a cause, but for the faith they carried in their hearts.
The killing of innocent tourists at Pahalgam in the kashmir valley has once again brought pain and instability to a region already burdened by decades of conflicts. The victims were not soldiers or officials, but civilians on holiday in one of the india’s most picturesque valleys. This was indeed a heinous crime against humanity. The attack targeting innocent civilians discriminately was such brutal that falls under the category of rarest rear. The tragedy that has shattered the lives of many families altogether has been heart wrenching, deplorable and condemnable in the strongest possible terms. What have the innocent done to deserve this? One cannot forget the haunting image of a grieving woman holding a lifeless body of her husband- an image that doesn’t just break hearts but shatters the very conscience of humanity.
Social media is flooded with pictures, videos of mourners, including children, Sisters, wives and parents of the victims, those who never knew that this is going to turn out their final journey. Expressing deep anger against this inhuman act of violence, there was violent protest across kashmir valley and in many parts of the country. However, while all Said and done the issue does not get over with just empathy, mourning and widespread condemnation. The nature and intensity of the tragedy has been so intense that raises serious questions which deserve appropriate answers and fixing responsibilities as well.
Some of the questions are:
- A deliberate detailed planning would have gone into conduct of such an intense attack, what was our so – called intelligence doing all that time?
- Spot flooded with two to three thousand tourists, with no security arrangements.
- Spot with such a heavy tourist flow ,with no medical facilities, health counters and even First Aid Arrangements.
- No communication facilities like Roads, Transport arrangements, that further delayed the evacuation of many injured leading to their deaths.
Overall shifting blames at this juncture doesn’t yield any meaningful results . Ultimately it is the Government machinery at all levels…especially J.K. administration that has to own the responsibility of this disaster that it has failed to predict and address.
The loss of innocent lives is a devastating tragedy that can never be fully rectified. Such heinous act cause irreparable harm to families, communities leaving deep emotional scars. It is heartbreaking to see families torn apart and people living in constant fear. Violence not only destabilises the regular but also hampers any efforts at peace, progress and mutual understanding. Kashmir should not remain a land of bloodshed. It deserves peace, dignity and a future where every citizen feel safe. Blood of innocent people has been split and those who masterminded the strike and the country harbouring them should pay a stiff price. High time india decides to erase the platform where terrorists are being bred.we must unite to counter this cowardly act.
KODANDERA MAMATHA SUBBAIAH.
