kashmiri-pandits-honour-victims-of-2003-pulwama-attack

A group of Kashmiri Pandits gathered on Sunday to pay solemn tributes to the victims of the 2003 Nadimarg massacre, where militants brutally killed 24 members of their community in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir. 

The tribute event, held at the site of the tragedy for the first time, marked a significant moment for the community, which had previously observed the remembrance ceremonies in Jammu each year.

The massacre, carried out by heavily armed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants disguised in combat uniforms, occurred on the intervening night of March 22 and 23, 2003. The attackers cordoned off Nadimarg village, rounded up the residents, and executed them in cold blood after lining them up in an open area. 

The atrocity forced the surviving Kashmiri Pandits to flee their homes, leaving behind a village that remains largely abandoned to this day.

Bhushan Lal Bhat, a native of Nadimarg who migrated to Jammu after the attack, emphasized the emotional significance of holding the commemoration in the village itself this year. He stated that while the tributes had always been observed in Jammu, the community felt it was important to return to their ancestral home to honor the fallen. 

"There is no need to recount the horrors of that night—the deserted houses in Nadimarg stand as silent witnesses to the massacre," he said.

The event saw a large gathering of men, women, and children, many of whom were brought along to reconnect with their roots and understand the history of their community’s suffering.

The massacre was orchestrated under the command of Zia Mustafa, a Pakistani national from Rawalakot in Azad Kashmir, who was then serving as the district commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba. He was arrested later in 2003 and remained in custody until 2021. That year, security forces took him to Poonch to aid in identifying militant hideouts. 

However, during the operation, he was allegedly killed in an exchange of fire between militants and Indian security personnel.

The commemoration in Nadimarg served as a poignant reminder of the unresolved pain and the displacement suffered by the Kashmiri Pandit community, while also reinforcing their commitment to preserving the memory of their lost brethren.