A Father's Test in the Valley

When a small accident left his daughter in danger, a Kashmiri father discovered the depth of his love, and the unspoken pain of every father who fears for his child's future.

- Bashir Ahmad Dar

Two years ago, around one in the night, I was woken up by my wife. There was no panic in her voice, just a hesitation, like she wasn’t sure if the moment was serious enough to wake me. But when I saw her face, I knew something was wrong.

Our daughter, just three years old at the time, had pushed a tiny silver nose pin deep into her nostril while playing. It was no longer visible from the outside. She just told her mother she had done something “bad.” At that hour, those words hit differently.

The moment I heard what had happened, something shifted in me. I got up and reached for my phone, calling every doctor I could think of. I tried their personal numbers. I called hospitals. I searched online for emergency contacts. But it was late, and no one answered.

I stood next to my daughter's bed, watching her sleep. I used the torchlight from my phone, hoping to spot the nose pin. I couldn't. And with every passing minute, fear tightened its grip around me.