Humanity trumps terror: Kashmiri guide saves lives of children of Chhattisgarh tourists

Raipur: Risking his own life, a Kashmiri tourist guide saved the lives of children from a group of tourists from Chhattisgarh when terrorists struck in Pahalgam on Tuesday.

Nazakat Ahmad Shah (28) was acting as a guide to a group of 11, four couples and three children, from Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur district in Chhattisgarh during their Kashmir trip.

Shah's cousin was killed in the attack that claimed the lives of 26 persons, he told PTI over the phone on Thursday.

Arvind Agrawal, one of the tourists, posted pictures of him and his daughter with Shah on his social media handle and wrote, "You saved our lives by risking your own. We will never be able to repay the debt of Nazakat Bhai." As per his Facebook profile, Agrawal is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha- a youth wing of the BJP.

Besides the Agrawals, the families of Kuldeep Sthapak, Shivansh Jain and Happy Wadhavan were part of the group.

Shah sold shawls in Chirmiri town of Chhattisgarh in the winter and knew these families.

"They reached Jammu on April 17, and I received them and took them to Kashmir in two vehicles. I took them to Srinagar, Gulmarg, Sonmarg, and in the last leg, we decided to visit Pahalgam," he said.

"Pahalgam was to be the last venue as my village is close by, and I wanted to host them because Kashmiris have a passion for hospitality," Shah said.

"We reached Baisran around noon. My tourists were busy with pony rides and clicking pictures. Around 2 pm, I told Lucky (Kuldeep) that we were getting late, so we should go. He replied we would go after clicking some more pictures. While we were talking, we heard gunshots, and initially, we thought it was the sound of firecrackers.

"Suddenly, we realised it was gunshots. There were thousands of tourists running here and there in panic," he said.

"My first concern was the safety of the tourist families. I took Lucky's kid and another child and laid 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," he said.

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

Adil Hussain, the son of his maternal uncle, was killed in the terror attack, but he could not attend his final rites as he decided to escort the tourists back, he said.

"I knew them (Kuldeep and others) for several years, as I used to accompany my father to Chirmiri to sell shawls. I wanted my guests saved even if I did not survive," said Shah, who has two daughters.

Like Agrawal, Sthapak also shared his and his family's pictures with Shah on social media and hailed him profusely for saving their lives.

"A letter written from the heart to Nazakat Bhai...My brother, the passion and bravery with which you rescued us from there is still echoing in my ears. There was chaos, gunshots, screams and the shadow of death all around. No ordinary person can do that. The humanity you showed by putting your life at stake is beyond words. I will be grateful to you all my life. I can never forget this favour," he wrote in Hindi on his Facebook page.

Sthapak also said he was concerned about Shah's safety.

"People will debate about religion and caste, but who will take care of Nazakat Bhai, who presented the most beautiful example of humanity? The heart becomes restless thinking about this," he said.

Shah picked up his child, sat him on his shoulders and ran 14 km on dangerous hills, Sthapak said.

"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," he added.

Sthapak's wife is a BJP corporator in Chirmiri town.