SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) staged a protest rally in Srinagar on Wednesday to condemn the brutal terrorist attack in Pahalgam, which claimed the lives of 26 civilians. The rally was marked by sombre slogans, emotional scenes, and a united front against violence.
Led by the Chief Minister’s Advisor, Nasir Aslam Wani, the procession began at the JKNC headquarters, Nawa-e-Subha, and moved towards Lal Chowk’s iconic Ghanta Ghar. According to the JKNS news agency, participants voiced their sorrow with chants of “Yeh tamasha nahin hai, yeh matam saheh hai” – “This is not a spectacle, this is mourning” – as they marched through the city centre.
Adding a deeply personal note to the gathering, former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s sons, Zamir and Zahir Abdullah, joined the rally, standing shoulder to shoulder with the grieving public. The participation of several MLAs and senior party leaders underscored the party’s message that the protest was above politics — a collective call for justice and an end to bloodshed.
“This is the collective cry of our people,” said JKNC spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar, addressing reporters during the march. “We demand a highest-level inquiry into this horrific act. Such violence seeks to derail Kashmir’s hard-won peace and cripple its tourism lifeline.”
An emotional moment unfolded near Ghanta Ghar when a group of distraught tourists approached Nasir Aslam Wani, pleading for assistance in returning home. “Please, we want to go back. Help us,” one said. Deeply moved, Wani folded his hands and responded with humility and pain. “We are very sorry. We are with you. We condemn these killings, just as we have condemned every such tragedy over the years. Even our party has suffered — we have lost ministers, workers, our own loved ones to this violence.”
The peaceful procession concluded at Lal Chowk with a vow to remain united against terrorism and to protect the spirit of Kashmiriyat. The rally, while politically symbolic, resonated as a civic outpouring of shared sorrow and determination to resist the forces seeking to destabilise the Valley.
