'When everyone was running away from the terrorists, Adil did exactly the opposite, he ran towards them to catch them.'
“Meri puri duniya ujad gayi hai,” says Syed Naushad Shah, a tourist taxi driver from Pahalgam, on the phone to Rediff.com.
Naushad’s elder brother, Syed Adil Hussain Shah (29), was the lone Kashmiri among the 26 people killed by terrorists in Pahalgam on April 22, 2025.
“I tried calling Adil from the afternoon to know about his whereabouts after the terrorists attacked. He did not attend to his phone then. I feared for his safety but never thought he would die. It was only later in the evening that I got a call from an acquaintance who told me that Adil too was killed by the terrorists,” says a grieving Naushad, younger brother of Adil.
Apparently, the terrorists asked the tourists to recite the Islamic kalma, and if they failed to do so were shot dead.
Adil ran after the terrorists to apprehend them when they started killing the tourists, and was shot dead.
“My brother used to ferry tourists on a pony and he was upset to see that his tourists were killed by terrorists. He was worried that they will go on killing more tourists and therefore decided to do something about it. He then ran towards one of the terrorists to catch hold of him when he was shot dead,” says Naushad.
Adil was a pony ride operator who used to ferry tourists from the car park to Baisaran meadow popularly known as ‘Mini Switzerland' for its scenic beauty.
He lived in Hapat Nar, a village 20 km away from Pahalgam.
Recalling his brother’s qualities as a human being, Naushad says, “Adil was an honest simpleton. He never used to speak loudly to me also, even though I was his younger brother. He only spoke softly to me. He always spoke of righteous things.”
Unlike other tourists who were shot once, Adil was hit with four bullets.
“I saw all the dead bodies of tourists as well as of Adil in hospital. I noticed that all the tourists had only one bullet mark but Adil was shot twice in the chest, one bullet hit him in the neck and one in the shoulder,” says Naushad.
“When everyone was running away from the terrorists, Adil did exactly the opposite, he ran towards them to catch them. He asked the terrorists why they were killing innocent people. Had he not done that, Adil would have been alive,” adds Naushad.
Adil’s wife and parents are dependent on his earnings and so are his four younger siblings.
Naushad too contributed to the household income but it was Adil who used to contribute the most.
Unlike Adil who ferried tourists on the pony, Naushad drives a tourist car in Pahalgam.
“For the last four years tourism had picked up in big numbers in Kashmir. But it looks like the terrorists do not want tourism to boom in Kashmir,” says Nawaz.
Reacting to the sight of tourists fleeing Pahalgam to catch flights out of Srinagar, Naushad says, “At this moment it seems like things will not be the same.”
He then pauses to say, “There is no business happening in Pahalgam for the last two days. It looks like terrorists killed tourists and by doing so they killed our livelihood in Kashmir.”
Recalling his brother Adil's life, Naushad says, “I feel proud that my brother lost his life while trying to save tourists. He was martyred and this is the only solace I have. I am obviously very upset and sad.”
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah visited Pahalgam to pay his respects to Adil’s bravery and attended his funeral prayers.
Though the government has announced compensation to Aadil’s family, nothing has been paid yet.
“At present we have not got any compensation money from the government. Maybe we will get in future, I don’t know. Moreover, we are in grieving stage and have no idea about these things,” concluded Naushad.
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