 "‘Would take a bullet’: Meet the brave Pahalgam guide who saved the lives of children and BJP worker")
“I wanted to host them at my home, and since they were my guests, I would have taken a bullet before anything was to happen to them.”
That one sentence says everything about the kind of person Nazakat Ahmad Shah is. The local guide from Kashmir didn’t think twice when gunshots rang out just kilometres away in Baisaran valley in Pahalgam on Tuesday, The Hindu reported.
The 30-year-old guide risked his own safety as he ran to protect the people he had been hosting. The group, which included families and children from Chhattisgarh, were rushed to safety as chaos and tragedy unfolded around them.
Nazakat, however, lost his own cousin during the attack, which claimed the lives of 25 others and one local who ferried tourists on horseback.
The incident was shared by the Chhattisgarh BJP youth wing worker Arvind Agrawal, who was among those saved by Nazakat. His story has since been widely shared online, with many calling the local Kashmiri the face of real bravery and humanity. Here’s what happened.
‘Hugged children as firing started’
Arvind Agrawal and his family, wife Pooja and their four-year-old daughter were on the last leg of their Kashmir trip. They were accompanied by the families of Kuldeep Sthapak, Shivansh Jain and Happy Wadhavan.
The group of 11 were headed to Pahalgam on Tuesday with Nazakat Ahmad Shah, a local from Kashmir, who sells shawls in Chirmiri town of Chhattisgarh during the winters. They knew him personally, and he had looked forward to hosting them.
“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,” he told PTI.
The group reached Baisaran around noon. Children were riding ponies, the adults were busy clicking photos. But soon, chaos broke out.
“Lucky (Kuldeep) and I were talking, and I told him we were getting late and should head back. He replied we’d leave after taking a few more pictures,” Nazakat recalled. “While we were talking,we heard gunshots. Initially, we thought they were firecrackers. But suddenly, people started running in panic — there were thousands of tourists running here and there. That’s when we realised it was gunfire.”
The gunfire came from close to where the group was standing, Nazakat recalled.
“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,” he told The Indian Express.
Arvind Agrawal said other tourists pulled him to safety, but his wife and daughter were some distance away, still with Nazakat and another family.
Nazakat went back. “I returned to find Agrawal ji’s wife, who had run in another direction. I found her nearly one-and-a-half kilometres away and brought her back in my car,” he said. “Thanks to Allah, I took all 11 guests safely to Pahalgam,” he added.
But the day came with heartbreak too. Nazakat’s cousin, 30-year-old Syed Adil Hussain Shah , was killed in the attack, reportedly while trying to stop the terrorists. Nazakat couldn’t even attend the funeral. He chose instead to ensure the tourists got back safely.
“Tourism is our bread and butter. We are unemployed without it, and our children’s education depends on this…The terror attack is like an attack on our hearts. We shut the doors of our shops and businesses and are protesting,” he said.
“We are known for our hospitality and I believe tourists will come. Security forces should be more vigilant.”
‘Will never be able to repay the debt of Nazakat Bhai’
After the traumatic experience in Pahalgam, the tourists who were saved by the Kashmiri guide took to social media to express their gratitude.
Agrawal posted pictures of him and his daughter with Nazakat and wrote, “You saved our lives by risking your own. We will never be able to repay the debt of Nazakat Bhai.”
Like Agrawal, Sthapak also posted a heartfelt message for Nazakat, a local newspaper reported.
“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.”
He described the moment when Nazakat picked up his child, sat him on his shoulders and ran 14 km on the hills.
“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.
With input from agencies
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