‘Angels sent by God’: Kashmiriyat lives on as pony 'wallah', guide, locals shield guests from harm

New Delhi: A pony 'wallah' who laid down his life trying to save visitors to his homeland, a guide who rescued a family of 11 and countless locals are among those who added another dimension to Kashmir’s hospitality when terror struck Pahalgam on a calm Tuesday afternoon.

In what is the deadliest attack in the Valley since the Pulwama strike in 2019, terrorists opened fire in Baisaran, a popular tourist spot in the upper reaches of Pahalgam in Kashmir, killing 26 people, mostly holidayers from other states.

As tourists and families of victims from across the country reached home from Kashmir and outrage spread, stories of locals helping those who were stuck in the terrifying ordeal flooded in. Kashmir, their stories told the world, was also about those who had saved their lives and extended a helping hand in times of their greatest crisis.

When the initial list of victims was made public, Syed Adil Hussain Shah’s was the only name of a local. The story of his bravery made thousands, including Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah, attend his funeral on Wednesday in Pahalgam’s Hapatnard village.

As the families of Kaustubh Ganbote and Santosh Jagdale, two of the victims, stood face to face with the armed terrorists, the 30-year-old pony 'wallah' confronted them asking why they were killing innocent people.

In a courageous attempt to protect the tourist, the young man tried to snatch away the weapon. Shah succumbed to three bullets to the chest.

Asavari Jagdale, who lost her father Santosh Jagdale and uncle Kaustubh Ganbote, recalled being helped by another pony rider as they escaped the mayhem.

“I gathered courage and managed to escape with my mother and aunt. While coming down, my mother suffered leg injuries. A pony rider offered us support and hope. He gave us a pony ride to our driver," Asavari, who had travelled from Pune, recounted.

She added that her cab driver and pony ride operator were “like angels sent from God who stood by her at the time of the attack”.

“The pony ride operator did not leave us behind, he was with us. He rescued my aunt, mother and me from the spot," she told PTI.

The cab driver remained in touch even after she left Srinagar and “offered to help in every possible way”.

“He asked us to tell him any help we need, whether it was money. He is a driver who still wants to help us. He was crying on the call and also when I was leaving from Srinagar. I thanked him, I told him that because of his presence I did not feel lonely. He cried saying that he is sad for my loss. They were like angels sent by God."

Nazakat Ahmed Shah, a cousin of Shah, was also at the venue of the massacre and was instrumental in saving the lives of 11 tourists, including three children.

The 28-year-old had taken four couples and three children to Baisaran on the last leg of their Kashmir trip. Just before the group was about to leave the location, the sound of gunfire alerted Nazakat who fell to the ground with two of the children.

"My first concern was the safety of the tourist families. I took Lucky's kid and another child and lay down on the ground. The area was fenced so it was not easy to escape. I noticed a small opening and asked the families to move out through that opening. They asked me to save the children first. I slipped through it with the two kids, and ran towards Pahalgam town," Nazakat said.

After depositing the children in a safe place, he returned to the spot and escorted the others out safely. "Thanks to Allah, I took all our 11 guests safely to Pahalgam," he said.

The story of Nazakat’s selfless act came out when Arvind Agrawal, one of the tourists, posted pictures of him and his daughter with Shah on his social media handle.,

"You saved our lives by risking your own, we will never be able to repay the debt of Nazakat Bhai," he wrote.

Kuldeep Sthapak, another tourist, wrote on social media: "Nazakat bhai, you not only saved my life that day, you kept humanity alive. I will never forget you for the rest of my life.”

An indelible face of compassion above all else was tourist guide Sajad Ahmad Bhat. Videos of him scurrying down the mountainside with a child on his back were circulated widely and many wanted to know who this brave, helpful man was.

“Humanity above all… this is the murder of humanity,” Bhat told PTI Videos. When he reached the meadow, many were crying for help.

"We carried the injured on our ponies and took them to the Pahalgam hospital. We took at least 18-20 injured on ponies. There were two-three other men who carried people on their back. I carried a child on my back, offered water, took him to the hospital," the shawl vendor and guide said.

Terming the attack a blot on humanity, he said all of Kashmir is in mourning.

“They should have instead killed us, it should not have happened to them (the tourists). We want to tell all Indians that we stand with them… We are all Indians."

Then there were those who were saved by cautious locals.

A five-member family from Buldhana district in Maharashtra vacationing in Pahalgam was about to step out for local sightseeing on the fateful day, unaware of the terror attack, but was stopped by the owner and staff of their hotel from going out in view of the tense situation.

Another couple from Maharashtra was helped by locals in quickly moving away from the site and reaching their hotel safely.

Sakshi and Krishna Lolge, hailing from Nanded in Maharashtra, were at the Baisaran meadow some 15 minutes before the gunmen burst into the meadow.

"We heard the sound of firing after we moved a little away from the place," Sakshi said

"If there was no support from local people, who helped us to move away fast, we would have not been able to make this video. The local people helped the tourists a lot," she said in a video shot from her hotel.

Her husband Krishna said their pony ride operators quickly rushed them down the hill.

"Our tour coordinators were in constant touch with us. The local people took us to our hotel immediately. We came to know at the hotel that the terror attack had taken place. We saw a large number of security personnel moving towards the attack location," he added.