SRINAGAR: On July 17 this year, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had said Kashmiriyat was still alive. The two recent incidents of local Kashmiris coming to the help of police and army men have proved that the Home Minister was right as both Kashmiriyat and Insaniyat (humanity) in strife-torn Valley is alive and kicking.
On Friday (September 1) evening, militants fired on a police vehicle near Pantha Chowk area close to Srinagar-Jammu national highway. Four policemen were injured in the militant attack and one of them later succumbed in the hospital.
Immediately after the militant attack, the locals rushed to the incident first and helped the policemen.
Before the police and security men could reach the spot, the locals comforted the injured policemen and provided water to them.
The video of the incident in which locals were helping the injured policemen has gone viral.
The locals were also perturbed over delay in arrival of ambulance and police vehicles to the spot for shifting the injured cops to the hospital.
On September 4, three days after the incident, an army vehicle met with an accident near Pahroo area of Chadoora in central Kashmir’s Budgam district.
The army vehicle was passing through the Chadoora area when driver lost control of the vehicle and it skidded off the road, causing minor injuries to some soldiers travelling in the vehicle.
The locals rushed to the spot and took care of the injured soldiers.
They comforted the injured soldiers. They provided drinking water and first-aid to the injured soldiers.
A video showing Kashmiris helping the injured army men has gone viral on the social networking website with netizens hailing it as another example of Kashmiriyat and Insaniyat being displayed by people of the Valley.
Reacting to the video of locals helping the injured soldiers, General Officer Commanding (GoC) of Srinagar-based army’s 15 Corps, Lt Gen J S Sandhu thanked the locals for the gesture.
“This is a true indicator of Kashmiriyat and Insaniyat, where people help each other. This will go a long way in strengthening the bond of friendship between the Awaam and the Jawan,” he said.
A young political analyst, Aadil Ahmad, said both the incidents indicate that Kashmiriyat and Insaniyat for which people in Valley are known all over the world is very much alive and kicking.
He said despite being on receiving end on most of the times at the hands of police and army men, the local population don’t miss any opportunity to show Insaniyat.
“We have seen videos of policemen beating and firing on youth in Valley and also been witness to army men tying a youth in front of bonnet of their vehicle and using him as human shield against stone pelters during bye-polls to Srinagar parliamentary seat in April this year. There is anger among people but the videos of Kashmiris extending help to injured police and army men signifies that Kashmiris have not given up their Kashmiriyat and Insaniyat despite been on receiving end,” added Adil.
On July 17 this year, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had said Kashmiriyat was alive after people from all sections of society in Kashmir had condemned the militant attack on Amarnath yatris. He had saluted the people of Kashmir.