The terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, where a newly married Hindu tourist was shot in the head after being asked his name. This attack is not just a murder but a symbol of hatred and terror based on religious identity. The shocked picture of the deceased’s wife is considered the wounded face of the nation’s soul. It warns that it is an attack on India’s unity, civil security, and religious tolerance and that if concrete steps are not taken now, the next victim will be someone else. It demands accountability, decisive action, and social consciousness instead of just expressing grief so that humanity does not die again and again in the face of terror.
22 April 2025, some quiet moments of the morning. The snowy valleys of Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir were welcoming tourists. Newly married couples, children, and the elderly—everyone was hoping that the air of Kashmir would provide them with peace and some relief from stress. But then there was a sound of terror. Guns roared. And in that valley where snow falls, blood now flowed.
A newly married couple from Rajasthan was also among those tourists. They had gotten married just five days ago. They had come to Kashmir for their honeymoon. But perhaps fate had something else in store. The terrorists stopped the car, asked their names, identified them, and then shot them. The young man was a Hindu. This was the reason for his death. He was shot in the head. He died on the spot. His wife, whose mehendi on her hands was still wet, stood stunned. More than grief, she was frozen in an unspoken fear—as if time had stopped there.
This is not murder; this is religious hatred.
This was not just a terrorist attack. This was a planned murder—based on a thought, based on a religion. Today terrorism is no longer just a regional or ideological fight. It has now become a tool to erase religious identity. This murder shows that some elements have now decided who will live and who will die—and this decision will be taken by asking names.
Is this humanity? Is this the ‘Kashmiriyat’ in the name of which we have been pleading for peace for years?
When the screams of the martyr’s wife fell silent
The picture of the wife staring at her husband’s dead body went viral on social media. No screams, no cries, no resistance. Just a stoic silence—which became the harshest accusation on the entire system. A question is hidden in that silence: “What wrong did we do?” Has it now become a crime for a couple to come to Kashmir, see its beauty, and love its valleys?
We have to understand that in this picture, there was not just a woman but the soul of an entire nation—wounded, helpless, and ashamed.
Safety failure and insensitivity of administration
After every attack, there is a readymade script from the government—condemnation, compensation, investigation. But there is no accountability. Shouldn’t the question be asked as to how terrorists are allowed to move freely in the valley? How can they shoot someone by asking for their name and then escape?
Shouldn’t additional security forces be deployed during the tourist season? Doesn’t the Jammu and Kashmir administration know that such attacks attack tourism, the economy, and the unity of India?
Human rights or rights to terror?
Whenever India takes a tough stand against terrorism, the human rights shops open up. Delhi, London, New York—the so-called intellectuals everywhere suddenly become filled with ‘sympathy.’ But when a Hindu civilian is shot in the head just because of his name, these same voices fall silent.
Why? Is there sympathy only for the victims of a particular community? Is being a Hindu now equivalent to becoming invisible from the prism of human rights?
This is an attack on the whole of India.
The Pahalgam attack is not just the murder of one person—it is an attack on the soul of India. It is an attempt to send a message that “this is not your place.” It is a challenge to the unity, harmony, and secularism of India. And if we respond to this challenge only with tweets and candles, the next target will be another city, another name, another newlywed.
Pakistan’s role and global silence
As usual, the terrorist organization behind this attack—’The’ Resistance Front’—is’ a new avatar of Lashkar-e-Taiba. And its roots are in Pakistan. But on the international stage, Pakistan is still a ‘victim of terrorism.’
The United Nations, the United States, Europe—all must say it clearly that the killing of civilians on religious grounds is not just a crisis of one country but a crisis of global humanity.
Now is the time for decision.
India now needs to take a clear decision. The police alone cannot deal with terrorism in Kashmir; it requires political will. The soft layers of separatism will have to be uprooted. The hatred being spread in the name of religious identity will have to be challenged at the social level as well.
At the same time, we must decide that tourism in Kashmir is not just a deal to show “paradise” but a bridge of national unity—and it is the responsibility of all of us to protect this bridge.
Last lines: Another martyr, another life ruined.
After every terrorist attack, we feel sad for a few days and then forget about it. But for the woman who lost her husband and who was left alone with her dreams shattered, this incident is a lifelong wound.
This isn’t news for him; it’s his shattered world.
Our condolences should not be limited to social media posts. We must ask, “For how long?”
How long will we not be able to protect our citizens?
How long will we keep lighting candles for terrorist attacks?
We need action, not words. We need accountability, not grief. Because this time the question is not just about names; it is a question of humanity.
After the Pahalgam Terror Attack, PM Modi returned to the country, leaving his Saudi Arabia tour midway.
