The Pahalgam Attack and the Aftermath

In the serenity of Kashmir's hills and the silence of its valleys, the unthinkable happened again— an attack in Pahalgam that shook our collective conscience.

- MUSAIB BILAL

It was not just an act of violence; it was a wound to our shared soul, a crack in our effort to heal, to grow, to reclaim normalcy. Fifteen days have passed since that dark day, and yet the echoes continue. As someone brought up in Kashmir, who now lives with anxiety, I feel paralyzed—not just by what happened, but by what it might mean for the path ahead.

On that very day, I was preparing to appear in a Facebook live session about the Tulip Garden. I was to speak on Kashmiri hospitality, a trait so deeply rooted in our culture that we wear it as a badge of honour. But just minutes before going live, the session was suddenly called off. I was initially frustrated, unaware of the gravity that was about to dawn upon us. As news of the attack surfaced, frustration turned into a heavy silence, then anxiety. The very idea of celebrating or promoting Kashmir suddenly felt misplaced.

I received messages from friends across India.

The tone was cautious, yet heavy with resentment— questions like "Why did this happen?" quickly followed by, "Are you safe?" I also reached out to local friends studying outside the Valley. The tension was everywhere. A chilling familiarity had returned—of being reduced to stereotypes, of being seen through a lens of suspicion.