Waris Shah
The people of Kashmir yet against set an example of communal harmony amid the brewing religion-based violence.
On Monday, the Muslims of the Qazigund’s Taragam area stepped forward in large numbers to perform the last rites of a Hindu man who passed away during the intervening night of Sunday and Monday.
Sham Ji, a Kashmiri pandit who was aged 70 passed away and as soon as the news spread in the area, Muslims in large numbers stepped forward to help in the last rites of Sham Ji.
Speaking to The Kashmiriyat, the son of Sham Ji while thanking the local Muslims said, “I have never felt alone here for the past thirty years despite Militancy and the claims of local pandits being harassed elsewhere.”
He said that he is proud and thankful that he did not leave the Kashmir valley.
Commenting further on the communal harmony in Kashmir he said, “We do not know of anything about the last rites of Sham Ji, the local Muslims arranged and provided for everything, I am very thankful to them.”
Muslims of the area speaking to The Kashmiriyat said that they want Kashmiri Pandits to return to the valley.
“We do not know of any religious discrimination, we always have been one community and no attempts to polarize the local population will succeed,” Ghulam Nabi Khan, a local said.
He said that the community irrespective of religion have spent their whole lives as one.
Today’s event is yet another example of Kashmiriyat- true humanity that exists within the Kashmiri community.