Friends and relatives of Syed Adil Hussain, 30, who was killed alongside others in the militant attack in Pahalgam on April 22, rushed to his mud and brick house a day after the attack.
A tarpaulin tent has been erected in the courtyard of the modest house, which is barely 2 km from Pahalgam. Security barricades have been placed along the road leading to the South Kashmir village. A dirt track leads up to the house of Adil, where his parents are waiting for his coffin.
Adil, who worked as a ponywallah (horseman), on daily earnings of a few hundred rupees, died after he was shot at by militants who opened fire at tourists at Baisaran, which is a short distance away from Pahalgam.
When Adil’s father Syed Hyder Shah heard about the terror attack, he tried to call his son on his mobile. Repeated calls to the number went unanswered.
It was only late in the evening that the brother of the deceased came to know about his death.
Earlier, the family had approached the police for permission to track Adil by going to Baisaran, but they were denied permission. “My son came to know about his death. We are waiting for his body so that we can perform the last rites,” he says. Inside the house, Adil’s wife and mother are being consoled by the relatives.
Baisaran is accessible only by foot. A large number of youths from nearby villages work as horsemen.
Mushtaq Ahmad Lone, 48, a local resident, says as the tourists are beginning to leave the Valley, businesses are likely to remain shut in the coming days which is likely to impact livelihoods.
“There are some 100-200 youth who work as ponywallahs in Pahalagam. They barely earn Rs 500-700 per day. People here are very poor. They don’t have the means to purchase horses. Most of them have horses that are given to them by wealthy residents of Pahalgam,” he says.
