SRINAGAR: PDP Leader and Pulwama MLA Waheed ur Rehman Para expressed deep sorrow over the recent Pahalgam tragedy, saying that the incident has united people across communities, and those who lost their lives deserve to be honoured as martyrs.
“For the first time in 30 years of turmoil, we mourned together and took to the streets in collective grief against the Pahalgam attack,” he said.
The attack in Pahalgam was an assault on humanity, and this resolution reflects the sentiments of the people of JK.
Calling the incident a critical moment for the country, he said, “The Pahalgam attack is a test for India. Both Kashmiri Hindus and Muslims stood united, showing remarkable restraint. It was a national crisis, and we responded as one.”
Para stressed that the real blow to terrorism came when the people of Jammu and Kashmir decisively rejected violence. “Terrorism was only truly weakened when Jammu and Kashmir chose peace over violence,” he said.
Despite our differences, the martyrdom in Pahalgam has brought all of us onto the same page. “In the last several decades, despite numerous incidents, such as the 2019 attack, the Mumbai attack, or the Kargil war, Kashmir and the country have never mourned together. But today, for the first time, Kashmir and the country are united in this mourning.”
“Every country is put to trials, which are tested in times of distress. The objective of this attack was to stir communal tensions – to create a divide between Hindus and Muslims. However, the way our Hindu brothers and sisters have shown commendable unity is remarkable. A common Kashmiri today has condemned this attack in the strongest terms. It is due to the efforts of both Hindus and Muslims that the aim of the attack to stir communal tensions was defeated,” he said.
He concluded, “The victims of the Pahalgam attack are martyrs. Additionally, in Kashmir, many homes have been demolished, further fuelling alienation. In the last 30 years, terrorists have been killed, but terrorism has not been eradicated. The only time there has been a real action against ending terrorism is now – when the people of Kashmir have rejected violence.”
