Built on sacrifice, a house for Pahalgam’s lionhearted pony-wallah | India News
Haptnar (Anantnag): His scorched hands and bullet-riddled body told a story of courage and sacrifice. Poni-wallah Syed Adil Hussain Shah, who grabbed the barrel of a terrorist’s rifle to save tourists during the horrific massacre in Pahalgam’s Baisaran Valley last year, came to embody the spirit of Kashmir and the spirit of India in his selfless final act.Adil was the sole breadwinner of his family when he was killed on April 22, 2025. Over the past year, her family has lived through a difficult and complex transition — from a life defined by daily uncertainty and frugality to relative financial stability, even as they struggle with irreparable loss.Once living in a fragile 40-year-old house of mud and wood, they are waiting to move to a newly built one-story house adjacent to the old structure. Costing around Rs 10-12 lakh, the house was financed by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde’s party. The family said Shinde is expected to visit them on the first anniversary of the attack, after which they plan to move to a new residence.Also, the family received financial assistance of around Rs 20 lakh from government sources and other agencies. Even Adil’s widow Nazim has been given a permanent job in the fisheries department, while his brother Najakat has got a daily wage job with the Waqf Board. Another brother, Naushad, who once drove a taxi, now owns a cab worth around Rs 12 lakh.“We are not short of money now, but we miss Adil,” said his father Syed Haider Shah. “My son will earn around Rs 300-600 per day and we are happy with that,” he said. “He sacrificed his life for humanity. Tourists believed us when they came to Pahalgam, and he tried to save them,” he said.Sitting outside the newly constructed home, Haider said he felt proud when people from all over the country came to see and acknowledge his son’s bravery. “He lost his life, but he made us safer,” he said.Haider says he is aware that opinions about his son differ in Kashmir and beyond. Haider, who is fluent in Pahari, Kashmiri and Urdu, said people from all over the country have been visiting the family to offer their condolences. “The people of the valley appreciate what they have done by saving the tourists and giving their lives for their safety,” he says. “But people outside Jammu and Kashmir may understand his sacrifice more deeply. They see that he gave his life for others without thinking along religious lines.“He mentioned that there were many people present in Baisaron that day who managed to escape. “My son could have saved himself. But he didn’t. His conscience didn’t allow it and I’m proud of it,” she says.Memories come flooding back. “He had a cut on his finger because he tried to grab a rifle. Then he was shot in the back,” he says.“That day was the heaviest day of our lives. Oh Qayamat ka din tha,” he almost whispers. “When I heard the firing going on in Bysaran, I started calling him. He didn’t answer. As there was no network there, I thought he would answer. I kept calling till around 4 or 4.30 pm. At 6 pm, still with no response, I went to Ashmukam police station and informed them that my son was missing. They asked me to go home.”He was silent for a while; Then, heaving a sigh, he said: “When I reached home, the police informed me that my son’s body was in Pahalgam Hospital…” Hyder stopped there, his eyes filled with tears.When the family reached the Srinagar hospital to collect Adil’s body, a woman tourist who lost a family member said Adil tried his best to save them by grabbing the gun from the terrorists. Medical reports suggest he was shot at close range — he had a hole in his neck, a bullet wound to his chest and a bullet wound to his shoulder.
