April 28, 2025 – The Pahalgam terror attack that resulted in the death of at least 26 tourists in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22 has pushed the nation into a state of mourning. The plight of the family members who witnessed their loved ones being killed mercilessly is unimaginable. However, while the mortal remains of 25 of the victims were transported to their home towns immediately, one body continued to remain in Kashmir, his home.

Syed Adil Hussain Shah, a Kashmiri and pony guide, was the only local victim of the terror attack. The 30-year-old braveheart of Kashmir died while trying to protect the tourists on that ill-fated day. He was shot four times at close range. He had a hole in his neck, bullets in his chest and one of his shoulders was mutilated by bullet injuries, according to his brother Naushad. He also had injuries to his fingers indicating he must have tried to grab the gun from the attacker.

An eye witness account told Naushad that Adil tried to snatch a rifle from one of the attackers to protect the victims. He was shot by the terrorist multiple times.

This was Adil’s punishment. For trying to save innocent lives and, like his grieving father Syed Haider Shah said, for trying to “uphold the honour of Kashmir”.

Haider Shah is grief-stricken and devastated but, at the same time, proud of his son's sacrifice. “He gave his life to save innocent tourists…his courage has shown the world who we truly are."

"I am proud of him and his shahadat (sacrifice),” the inconsolable father says. “I am alive only because of that pride. Otherwise, I would have died the moment I saw his young, lifeless body."

Adil lived in a small, sleepy village 35 kms from Pahalgam and worked as a pony guide in Pahalgam. Struggling with poverty, Haidar Shah and his entire family were dependent on Adil for running the house. On that fateful day, Adil was ferrying tourists up to the Baisaran tourist area when the attack took place. The family’s world came crashing down after incessant calls by Haidar Shah to Adil’s phone went unanswered and Naushad had to go to the police station looking for some news of his missing brother.

The entire village turned into a matam zone when Adil’s body was brought for burial. Relatives and villagers mourned the death of this young man whose bravery stood as a quiet, strong reflection of the spirit of Kashmir. Top State leaders, political leaders and senior police officers visited his house to pay their respects to this young man.

Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also visited Adil’s home to pay his condolences to the shattered family.

"As I have heard, he (Adil) tried to stop the attack and perhaps even tried to snatch the gun, and that is when he was targeted," the CM said. "We have to take care of this family... the government stands with them and we will do whatever we can for them."

Dr Sameer Siddiqui, head of Khanqah-e-Hyderi, Aishmuqam shrine, Anantnag, has called Adil “the face of a new Kashmir”. He said that by making a sacrifice for the tourists, Adil has proved to the entire country and the world that this is Kashmiriyat – sacrificing life for guest.

Nazakat Ali

Among other heartwarming stories coming out of the ravaged Baisaran Valley of locals who helped trapped tourists one is that of Nazakat Ali, a 30-year-old Kashmiri tour guide who is also Adil’s cousin. He is said to have saved 11 tourists from Chhattisgarh, including four couples and three children. When the terrorists struck, Nazakat was with his tourists on the last leg of the tour.

While everyone was panicking and scrambling for safety, Nazakat calmed down his guests, assuring them he would take care of them. Carrying two children in his arms and holding one person by the hand, he guided his group through a small opening and took them rushing through the forest track and down to safety.

A member of the tourist group, acknowledging the exceptional bravery of the young man, wrote on social media, “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.”

Another member of the group wrote, ““You saved our lives by risking your own, we will never be able to repay the debt of Nazakat Bhai.”