On 11th April 1999, my life was torn apart. At the age of eleven, when most children dream of school and play, I witnessed my father and elder brother being abducted by a brutal nexus of local terrorists and Pakistan-sponsored terrorists. They demanded a huge ransom of money. My father was eventually released, but in a tortured state. My brother was held captive for seven long days. From that moment, my childhood was stolen forever.

Fear forced my family to abandon our native place. The scars of that incident still haunt us. My father continues to suffer the effects of torture. My mother hides her pain behind silence. And I — a child then — lost my innocence to the cruelty of terrorism.
From my native place, even ten of my own classmates — both girls and boys — were orphaned at the hands of Pakistan-sponsored terrorists. Children who once laughed with me in school were left without parents, their lives destroyed before they even began. Their stories live within me, as part of the collective pain of Kashmir’s terror victims.
But my story is not mine alone. For over three decades, Pakistan-sponsored terrorism has bled Jammu & Kashmir. Teachers have been killed inside classrooms. Migrant workers have been shot while earning their daily bread. Worshippers have been attacked in mosques and temples. Entire communities, like the Kashmiri Pandits, were driven into exile. Behind every statistic lies a human face — a widow, an orphan, a grieving parent.
It is for them that I work fearlessly. Because I am one of them. I belong to a terror victim family. I carry their pain, I share their struggles. And I have devoted my life to my beloved nation and to the cause of every terror victim — to ensure their voices are heard, their dignity protected, and their rights recognised.
To the world, I have three urgent appeals:
Recognise terror victims as a human rights priority. They deserve justice, dignity, and solidarity.
Hold accountable those who sponsor terrorism. Pakistan’s role in training, arming, and financing terrorists must not be ignored.
Support rehabilitation and empowerment. Widows, orphans, and displaced families need education, livelihoods, and hope — not charity, but their rightful place in society.
My message is simple:
We do not seek revenge — we seek justice.
We do not seek war — we seek peace.
We do not seek despair — we seek hope.
To the entire world, I say: Do not let terror victims remain invisible. Do not let our pain be forgotten. Stand with us — so that the valley of Kashmir, long stained with blood and tears, may once again become a land of peace, humanity, and harmony.
. “Orphans of terrorism carry wounds the world cannot see — they are not just children without parents, they are children whose childhood was stolen by violence of terrorism.”