Who Was Syed Adil Hussain? The Only Muslim To Be Killed In Pahalgam Terror Attack
Syed Adil Hussain Shah, a pony ride operator, was the lone Muslim who was killed in the terror attack as terrorists fired upon the tourists based on their religious identity.
Twenty-six people were killed in Pahalgam area of Anantnag district in Jammu and Kashmir during the terror attack on Tuesday. The deceased included mostly tourists, two foreign nationals and two locals.
Syed Adil Hussain Shah, a pony ride operator, was the lone Muslim who was killed in the terror attack as terrorists fired upon the tourists based on their religious identity.
Shah was killed on Tuesday while he was trying to protect a group of non-Muslim tourists during a brutal terror attack.
Adil was ferrying tourists on horseback to Baisaran, often referred to as 'mini-Switzerland', was guiding a family when the terrorists started firing.
He was killed while he rushed towards a terrorist and wrestled with him to snatch his gun, allowing the tourists a chance to escape, Deccan Herald reported.
He was shot dead by one of the terrorists and died on the spot. Syed Naushad, younger brother of Shah, said he had gone to Pahalgam for work.
"He used to take tourists on pony rides to Baisaran. On Tuesday when terrorists attacked tourists, my brother tried to stop them. A tourist whose father was killed in the attack told me about the heroic act of my brother at SMHS hospital," he said, adding the terrorists hit Shah thrice with bullets in the chest.
He termed the sacrifice of his brother as a “proud moment” for the family and friends but said “there is also sadness everywhere.”
Shah's father Syed Haider Shah said he was devastated by his son's killing.
"He was young and kind among all the siblings. He left at 8 in the morning and did not come back. Many boys from this village go to Pahalgam to find some work but who knew this was going to happen. The terrorists killed my son only because he confronted them and told them not to harm tourists," the grieving father said.
He said there was no mobile connectivity in Baisaran. "When he did not return in the evening, we started calling him but nobody picked up the phone," he added.
The pony ride operator was laid to rest at the ancestral graveyard at his Hapatnard village in Pahalgam with hundreds of mourners bidding him a tearful adieu and saluting his sacrifice.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah turned up at the funeral prayer and hailed his courage to stand up against the armed assailants.
"I visited Pahalgam today to offer 'fatiha' (prayer after burial) for brave-heart Shah, who was shot dead while trying to snatch a weapon from one of the terrorists in a courageous attempt to protect the tourists he had ferried on horseback from the parking area to Baisaran meadow," Omar said.
"Met his grieving family and assured them of full support — Adil (Shah) was the sole breadwinner, and his extraordinary bravery and sacrifice will forever be remembered," the chief minister wrote in a post shared by his office on X.
Omar assured the family of the deceased that his government would take care of them.
Earlier, local Ghulam Hassan who led the funeral prayers of Shah lauded the sacrifice of the youth and said,
"We should always be ready to die for others, whether a Sikh, Pandit or a Muslim. That is what our religion teaches us," Hassan said.
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