Oh Gun! Let destruction be upon you! You have destroyed thousands of families in Kashmir. You have brought miseries upon the people of the Valley. You have made in numerous young women widows and have created thousands of orphans in this land of Sufis and Reshis.

The gun can never be the solution to anything. This gun is roaring in my motherland at the behest of Pakistan for three decades now. It has always pierced the chest of the innocent Kashmiris.

On June 3, around 11 pm I was having dinner with my family when my phone rang. The caller was a dear friend and the neighbor of the late Rakesh Pandita. “Where are you,” he asked me. I was surprised to observe that his voice was trembling. As I responded, he cried into the phone, “Rakesh has been attacked. He is critical.”

The earth beneath me shook. In a few minutes, the news was viral. Rakesh Pandita had been killed. I was filled with grief and anger equally. These so-called militants are actually terrorists! They are constantly terrorizing Kashmir in the name of Islam. They are just fulfilling the wicked and ulterior motives of Pakistan, and are defaming our beautiful religion. I wonder how these terrorists are able to sleep after killing someone. I feel ashamed in calling these terrorists even humans. They are beasts. I guess even beasts shall be ashamed to see the activities of these Pakistan-sponsored terrorists. Islam does not support any sort of violence, and these terrorists can never be regarded as Muslims. The truth is that they have no religion.

Allah says in Holy Quran: “Whoever kills an innocent life it is as if he has killed all of humanity.” |Surat Al-Ma’idah 5:32|. It is high time for the Kashmiris in particular and Muslims across the globe to raise their voice against these dreaded terrorists.

Martyr Rakesh Pandita is the proud son of Kashmir. He is one among us. He is our part and parcel, and surely his killers will rot in hell. What was Rakesh’s fault? His only fault was that he was a peace-loving Kashmiri who was against violence and gun culture. His only fault was that he believed in Jamooriyat (Democracy) and dared to come back to his homeland. It was the love for his motherland that attracted him back to this Valley, and you bloody people killed him shamelessly.

These terrorists have leveled allegations against Rakesh Pandita to hide their wrongdoings and justify his killing. But remember – nothing can justify the killing of an innocent unarmed man irrespective of his caste, religion, or affiliation. Killing a person is no bravery. It’s cowardice.

The killing of Martyr Rakesh Pandita at this point in time shows the frustration of Pakistan. Pakistan is not happy seeing peace returning to our torn land. Pakistan wants to keep bloodshed continue in Kashmir at the cost of the lives of poor Kashmiris. For 30 years, from the beginning of militancy, Pakistan has been using Kashmiri youth as cannon fodder. There are hundreds of Rakesh who have been targeted because they did not support violence and terrorism.

People’s Anti Fascist Front, a frontal organization of Lashkar E Taiba, took the responsibility for the martyrdom of Rakesh Pandita. I have a straight question for you. Did you think that by martyring Rakesh Pandita you have done something good for our torn valley? The answer is NO. You have just put out the candle which was there to provide light to many who were in need of it. You have snatched the support of an old mother. You people can do no good to this valley. What answer will you give to the old-aged mother of Rakesh? How will she survive now? What will his wife and children do without their only support? You have made Kashmiriyat feel ashamed. Kashmiriyat is famous in the whole world for its warm hospitality. But in the present times, people like you are a black spot on Insaniyat and Kashmiriyat. I wonder how on the day of judgment you will show your ugly face to the creator of this universe.

You have the blood of innumerous innocents in your hands. God will never forgive you for your wrongdoings, O terrorists! You have been sent here by your masters sitting across the border only to inflict more and more miseries upon poor Kashmiris. You have killed innumerous innocent people in the past. By killing Martyr Rakesh Pandita, you have showed to the world that you are against the peace in the valley.

I request my fellow Kashmiris – Awaken from your deep slumber! Raise your voice so that we can save ourselves, our children, and our society from further destruction.

Remember – Today it is Rakesh Pandita. Tomorrow it might be me and the day after tomorrow it might be you. These terrorists cannot be the friends of any peace-loving person in the world. These terrorists know that they cannot compete with us on the basis of truth and facts. Hence they try to silence every sane, bold and honest voice in Valley. These terrorists have a single agenda – to bring destruction and miseries to Kashmir and Kashmiris. I wonder what it fetches to Pakistan by killing innocent Kashmiris. Why is Pakistan hell-bent to convert Kashmir Valley into a graveyard?

Waseem Gul
A Broken Common Kashmiri