Suhail Khan
Naidkhai, Nov 12: Stories have always been painful in Kashmir, but some stories don’t just break hearts; they leave lasting wounds.
Another story has spread tears across Kashmir—a story that has ignited flames around the world, a story that has once again left innocent children orphaned.
A woman from Bandipora district who was injured in a grenade attack at the weekly Sunday market in Srinagar succumbed to her injuries on Tuesday nine days after the attack.
Abida Kausar from Naidkhai succumbed to her injuries on Tuesday after being hospitalized for morethan a week in a Srinagar hospital. Yet her three little children are still waiting, wondering when Mommy will come back and bring clothes for them. Today, their wait has turned into despair; today, they have become orphans, forever separated from their dear mother 💔.
Who will take care of these innocent kids? Who will wake up early to get them ready for school? Who? Who? asked the victim’s cousin, sitting in a corner of the room with tears streaming down her face.
She said, “What wrong did our sister do? What sin did she commit? What was her fault? How do we explain to these orphans that their mother is gone forever?”
The entire household was engulfed in mourning; every eye was wet, every face was sorrowful, distressed, and helpless, grieving for the orphaned children. Today in Naidkhai, it doesn’t seem like anyone will sleep; these children will haunt the dreams of many. Today, no one will find peace, a relative of the victim lamented in a conversation with Kashmir Despatch.
Crying uncontrollably, she asked a painful question: “How long, how long must we witness this as oppressed Kashmiris? How long will we continue losing our beloved ones and our families without any guilt, without any mistakes? Until when?”
Her elder son, Huzair Zubair (10), visibly devastated, spoke tearfully to Kashmir Despatch, “My mom won’t be there for me anymore. Who will help me get ready for school now?” Tears streamed down his face as he spoke. “It’s my mom’s funeral; they’re waiting to pray for her.” His voice broke, and he struggled to hold back his emotions.
Recalling the tragic incident, Abida’s brother, Waseem Raja, expressed his heartbreak and frustration. “When I reached SMHS Hospital, only 20 minutes after I heard the news, a critical machine was malfunctioning. This delay, coupled with her severe injuries, caused massive blood loss,” he said. Despite surgery, doctors later confirmed that Abida’s injuries were too severe; the blast had caused a catastrophic brain injury, severely damaging the frontal lobe.
“Dr. Abdullah promised full support and even tweeted about it. He mentioned assistance for her children’s rehabilitation. I don’t want money—I only want justice and formal support for her children’s future,” Waseem said.
I must say, where is Kashmir heading? There were no such blasts before. Now, people live in fear of going out with their families…
With shattered dreams and a heavy heart from losing a sister, a brother expressed emotionally, “My sister’s only mistake was going to the park behind the Sunday market to buy something for her children. That was the only mistake that led her to become one of twelve victims of that grenade attack.”
What is happening in Kashmir? What is happening in Kashmir???
Who will call me Waseem? Raja, who will call me? Who will call their children, mother, husband? Is simply living in Kashmir our mistake? If this is a mistake, then it must be remedied as soon as possible. How long will we endure this suffering?
Abida Kounsar is survived by her husband and three children: Huzair Zubair (10), Abeeya Zubair (4), and Mohammad Hafi (2).
Abida was among twelve civilians injured in a grenade attack at the Sunday market on November 3.
Reports said that the grenade was hurled by militants towards a mobile CRPF bunker but missed the target and exploded on the road, causing splinter injuries to civilians. The area was crowded with people due to the weekly flea market held on Sundays.
On Friday, Jammu and Kashmir Police claimed to have solved the case by arresting three alleged terror associates affiliated with the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT).Inspector General of Police Kashmir Zone, VK Birdi said that police had arrested the trio identified as Osama Yasin Sheikh, Umar Fayaz Sheikh and Afnan Ahmed-all residents of Srinagar’s Ikrajpora.
The IG said that the arrested trio carried out the attack “at the behest of their handlers in Pakistan to disturb the prevailing peace in Kashmir”.The arrested trio was with their faces covered was presented before the media at the Police Control Room in Srinagar during the Friday’s presser.
