Unity India condemns terror attack in Pahalgam

CHENNAI: Unity India [a national forum for promoting communal amity in India], has condemned the terror attack on tourists in Pahalgam, Kashmir on April 22.

In a statement on Thursday, members of the forum said the terrorists responsible for this heinous crime must be identified and brought to justice immediately. Members include Dr Ajit Yadav, advocate Arvindh Pandian, secretary general, Islamic forum for the promotion of moderate thought, A Faizur Rahman, president Thousand lights charity, former judge Punjab and Haryana . Justice K. Kannan - Former Judge, Punjab and Haryana High Court, former revenue secretary of India M R Sivaraman among others.

– said that they were pained to read about Hindus being singled out and shot dead. Perpetrators of this crime were trying to shatter the bond between the Hindus and Muslims in India.

``We consider this a direct assault on the values of peace, communal harmony, and unity in diversity that define the civilisational ethos and cultural syncretism of India - a subcontinent which remains unparalleled in the diversity and religions that it has nurtured and protected over the millenniums,,’ the statement said.

Terrorists can be defeated only when all communities remain united so as not to allow hate to triumph over our shared humanity. In this context, we would like to make a special mention of Syed Adil Hussain Shah, a young Muslim in the prime of his life, who died fighting the terrorists in a valiant attempt to save the non-Muslim tourists he had just ferried on horseback. It is national heroes like him who represent the Muslims, not terrorists, who are rejected by their community.

The Pahalgam tragedy reinforces the urgent need for a collective, unwavering commitment to combating not just terrorism but the use of mindless violence by extremist outfits in India to target specific communities in the name of religion.

We reject the rhetoric that weaponises religion to fracture the social fabric and thereby desecrate the sacred principles that religious traditions stand upon. History has shown us the tragic consequences of allowing hatred to take root. From violence and displacement to long-lasting trauma and generational distrust, the cost of religious division is far too great to ignore.

True peace does not come from the uniformity that divisive forces seek to impose. It comes from accepting diversity as a gift of the biological and intellectual evolution of humanity, and our courageous refusal to be divided.

In condemning the attempt to divide us by religion, we renew our commitment to building bridges, not walls; to fostering dialogue, not discord; and to living out the highest ideals of our shared human spirit.