*Qazigund, Dec 28: Keeping alive the spirit of communal harmony, Muslims performed the last rites of a 75-year-old Kashmiri Pandit in Qazigund area of South Kashmir’s Anantnag district on Monday.
The Muslims of Taragam locality of Qazigund stepped forward in large numbers to perform the last rites of a Kashmiri Pandit, who died during the intervening night of Sunday and Monday.
Locals told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that Sham Lal Bhat, a Kashmiri Pandit, who was aged 75 passed away late last night and as soon as the news spread in the area, Muslims in large numbers stepped forward to help perform the last rites of the deceased.Veer Ji Bhat, son of Sham Lal while thanking the local Muslims said: “I have never felt alone here for the past 30 years despite militancy and the claims of local Pandits being harassed elsewhere.”
He said that he is proud and thankful that he did not leave the Kashmir Valley.Commenting further on the communal harmony in Kashmir he said; “We do not know of anything about the last rites of Sham Ji, the local Muslims arranged and provided everything, I am very thankful to them.”
“We were one and shared a great camaraderie. Our families used to visit each other, eat together and we always remained together in happiness and sorrow.
We lost a friend, well-wisher and a noble soul and the entire area is saddened by his death,” Ghulam Mohammad Lone, a resident of Taragam said.
“We do not know of any religious discrimination, we always have been one community and no attempts to polarize the local population will succeed,” Ghulam Nabi Khan, another local said.
He said that the community irrespective of religion has spent their whole lives as one.Today’s event is yet another example of Kashmiriyat- true humanity that exists within the Kashmiri community—(KNO)
Kashmir Update Official 