Innocent lives will be spared but no closure for us: Pahalgam widow
Times of India | 11 May 2025
123 Kolkata: Fifty-one-year-old Sabari Guha, wife of the senior statistical officer Samir Guha (52), seemed confused on Saturday evening, moments after hearing about the India-Pakistan ceasefirethat was brokered by US President Donald Trump."It is a relief that several innocent lives will be saved. I am against any form of war," said Guha, but added quickly, "there is hardly any sense of closure given that the job we set out to achieve is not accomplished.The job, at this moment, looks unfinished.""We still have no clarity on who the men on the ground were who carried out the Pahalgam attack. The NIA has been unable to arrest anyone directly involved. We do know that several terrorist hotspots in PoK were hit by our armed forces. But are we sure that such terror attacks will not be carried out tomorrow where innocents lost their lives? We too were innocent tourists out there at Baisaran Valley. Will we be assured of justice through this ceasefire? Do you think the terrorists will keep silent now that they know they are safe?" asked Guha.Guha said she followed details of the conflict daily. "While the talk revolved mostly around drone warfare and how many targets we were hitting, I wanted to know the names and the roles of the terrorists killed during our befitting reply," said Guha.Guha says the Indian govt should not think that its job in the Pahalgam incident is over. "I still want action. It is for the central govt to decide how it wants to respond. But I want the culprits punished, and I want a permanent solution so that no one faces the fate of my husband or 25 others who lost their lives there," she said.Earlier, speaking to TOI on the day Operation Sindoor was launched, Guha explained how the Pahalgam attack was sinister. "This was a targeted killing. In anyterror attack, there is random firing. Operation SindoorAfter Pak dials India, both sides agree to stop firing; top military officials to talk on May 12'Armed forces remain operationally ready': India after ceasefire announcement'Any future act of terror will ...': India's big stand against PakIt was not done here. If we are not safe in our own country, where will we find security?" she asked.Sabari recalled the day her world turned upside down yet again. "At first, we didn't realise it was gunfire. My husband asked the locals, and they said the forest department guards fire sometimes to drive away monkeys. But then the firing continued, and when we saw other tourists running, we understood it was an attack.Local people repeatedly told us to lie down to avoid being noticed by the militants. One of the terrorists came and separated the Muslims from the Hindus and ordered everyone to recite the Kalima. We were lying down when suddenly someone shot my husband. After killing him, the terrorist – dressed in a military outfit and with faces covered – said to another, 'Yeh Modi ka Aadmi Hai,'" recounted the mother of 17-year-old Subhangi.Everything was a blur before we found locals continuously begging us to flee. As we tried to flee, we were left in the lurch with no one around to help even after a long time. As I slipped while fleeing, my daughter Subhangi kept telling me to flee, or the terrorists might kill us too," recounted Sabari.The family stated they also received Rs 10 lakh from the central govt, another Rs 10.2 lakh from insurance (another Rs 5-6 lakh of final settlement is still pending), and are awaiting the state govt compensation. "I request the central govt to provide me with my husband's job at the earliest as I have a daughter to look after. I also have to pay a home loan. Samir was the only earning member in my family," said Sabari. MSID:: 121059253 413 |