A deadly attack on tourists in Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives and injured several sent shockwaves throughout the nation. Soon after, social media got flooded with posts regarding the incident. Amid those, a share by BJP worker Arvind S Agrawal has gone viral. In his post, he thanked a local Kashmiri guide, Nazakat Ahmed Shah, for saving him and his family.
“You saved us by risking your life, we will never be able to repay the favor of Nazakat Bhai,” Agrawal wrote on Instagram as he shared two photos. One of the pictures shows Agrawal with Shah.
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“Everything was peaceful and I was clicking photos. My four-year-old daughter and wife were a bit far from me when the firing suddenly began. My guide, Nazakat (28), was with them and another couple and their child,” Agrawal told The Indian Express.
{{/usCountry}}“Everything was peaceful and I was clicking photos. My four-year-old daughter and wife were a bit far from me when the firing suddenly began. My guide, Nazakat (28), was with them and another couple and their child,” Agrawal told The Indian Express.
{{/usCountry}}“When the firing started, Nazakat asked everyone to lie down and hugged my daughter and my friend’s son, saving their lives. He then rushed them to safety before going back to rescue my wife,” he continued.
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“I do not know what would have happened had Nazakat not been there… My wife’s clothes had been torn, but the locals gave her clothes to wear,” he added.
Shah told the outlet, “The firing was taking place near the zipline, about 20 metres from where we were standing. I first asked all those around me to lie down on the ground. Then I spotted a gap in the fencing and guided the children towards it. We escaped from the spot before the terrorists could come near us.”
According to the outlet, once Shah had guided those people to safety, he returned to search for Agrawal’s wife. He eventually found her and brought her back to safety. Later, he drove all the tourists to Srinagar. Tragically, Shah’s cousin died in the attack. “I was told that my (cousin) brother, Adil, a horse rider, died in the attack,” he told the outlet.