Now that it has been quite a few years since I began writing on various issues in Kashmir and gathering public reactions on them, be it social, political, or religious, I have often seen how terrorism has torn apart the social and political fabric of this place. Over time I have also acknowledged that after 2019, terrorism in Kashmir has been brought down to its lowest point through the stringent steps of the government, administrative efforts, local support, and the zero tolerance policy of the security forces. Yet I should not refrain from saying that the ideology which was sown deep into the society in the name of religion has not been completely uprooted and the black sheep still exist among us.

The recent attack in New Delhi has once again dragged Kashmir into national headlines. After the Pahalgam terror attack, it had become clear that Kashmiris have rejected Pakistan-sponsored terrorism and will continue to do so. In the wake of this latest attack that took eight innocent lives, I reached out to a few friends and colleagues to know what they felt and to hear their thoughts on the incident. I tried to talk to my friends telephonically and here is what I heard from them.

Faizan Aisha, a Renowned Activist and a Writer

Although my heart feels too heavy to comment on the terror attack in New Delhi, as a Kashmiri I have endured years of suffering and have grown a thick skin through constant struggle. That gives me the strength to call a spade a spade. From the very beginning, I have condemned every form of terrorism, and I do the same now. My heart goes out to the families who lost their loved ones in this tragedy. As Kashmiris, we know what it feels like to receive the body of a family member who was killed for no reason. For me, a terrorist belongs to no religion, and no religion teaches or preaches violence. Giving any terror act a religious colour reflects nothing but a shallow mind. As a human and a responsible global citizen, I wholeheartedly condemn this brutal act of terror.

Ali Zaroon, a Regular Columnist

I think we don’t even need to mention who has done this terror attack. It’s obvious. We know who has been behind terrorism in Kashmir and across our country for decades. My point is not only to condemn but to remind that the global community is still asleep. It needs to call out the country that has been running a terror factory for ages. There used to be a myth that Kashmiris were in favour of Pakistan, but that lie was shattered when people across Kashmir filled the streets shouting Pakistan Murdabad. No one understands the pain of receiving a packed coffin better than us. That’s why every Kashmiri today stands firmly against terrorism. We share the grief of those who lost their loved ones and stand with the families of the victims in this dark hour.

Zubair Alam, a Multimedia Journalist

As someone who has spent years documenting stories from the ground in Kashmir, I have seen the devastating face of terrorism far too closely. The recent attack in New Delhi didn’t just claim lives, it reopened wounds that people in Kashmir have lived with for decades. Every time such an incident happens, we are reminded that terrorism has no region, no religion, and no justification. The faces of the victims might change, but the pain remains the same. What hurts even more is the silence of those nations that still give shelter, funding, and political cover to the masterminds of terror. The world needs to stop treating Pakistan as a misunderstood state and start treating it as what it has long become — a factory of extremism. Kashmiris have learned through blood and tears that peace is not a privilege, it is a struggle. We stand with the families of the victims in New Delhi, not just as fellow citizens but as people who have lived the same grief many times over.

Nabeel Noor, a Poet and a College Student

When I first read about the attack, I couldn’t help but think of Faiz’s verse, “Lahu ka suraj utra hai, ufq se dard ka.” It felt as if the same sun had risen again, painted in grief. For people like us who grew up amid echoes of blasts and gunfire, every such incident anywhere in the country feels deeply personal. I was sitting in my college canteen when the news flashed on my phone, and the whole space went silent for a moment. It wasn’t just shock, it was exhaustion, the kind that comes from watching history repeat itself. I have always believed that poetry should heal, not harden, and that is why I write. Today, my words feel small before the pain of those families, but I hope we as a society never grow numb to such tragedies. The least we can do is stand united, not divided, in our grief and in our resolve against terror.

Firdous Beigh, an Entrepreneur and a Student

As a young entrepreneur, I often think about how fragile peace really is and how every act of terror doesn’t just take lives, it destroys the faith of ordinary people in progress and coexistence. What happened in New Delhi is not just a security failure, it’s a reminder that we as a society have to invest more in minds than in machines. When education, employment, and empathy are strong, extremism has no soil to grow in. I have met young people in Kashmir who now talk about startups, tourism, and innovation instead of separatism. That is the real change we need to protect. So when I see innocent people dying in the capital of my country, I don’t just feel anger, I feel fear, fear that somewhere, someone wants to pull us back to the dark times we thought we had left behind. Our generation cannot afford silence; we have to speak, build, and choose peace every single day. I strongly condemn this act of terror that has stolen innocent lives and shaken countless hearts. Violence can never be a language of faith or freedom, and it deserves nothing but rejection from every conscience that still feels human.

Dr. Samina Ashraf, a Young Doctor from Srinagar

As a doctor, I see pain every day, but there are some kinds of pain that no medicine can heal. The news of the terror attack in New Delhi left me numb for a while. At the hospital, I kept imagining the scenes, people running, families searching, someone waiting for a call that would never come. It breaks something inside you. We in Kashmir have lived through years when such cries echoed through our own streets, and perhaps that’s why this grief feels so personal. Terror, in any form and by any name, is an assault on humanity itself. I strongly condemn this act of brutality and stand with every family that has lost a loved one. Healing begins when we choose peace over hate, and compassion over fear.
From every voice I heard, one truth echoed, that no society which has lived through the ruins of terrorism can ever justify it in any form. The people of Kashmir who have buried their own for decades stand today with the victims of New Delhi and with every innocent life lost to senseless violence. It is time the international community stops looking away and calls out the countries that have turned terror into statecraft. Silence has already cost too many lives. The world must decide whether it wants to keep nurturing the ideology that breeds death or stand with those who still believe in the value of a single human life. From Kashmir to New Delhi our message is simple and clear, terrorism wherever it comes from deserves global condemnation and collective action.

Email:------------------------soulofkashmir1@gmail.com