Umaisar Gull Ganie
Kulgam, Dec 12: Muslim neighbors performed the last rites of an elderly Kashmiri Pandit in Kulgam district, exemplifying the Valley’s tradition of upholding communal harmony and brotherhood.
Mohan Lal Koul, an 84-year-old resident of Cheyan Adigam in Devsar, passed away Tuesday morning after a brief illness.
Upon learning of his death, the Muslim community in the village made special arrangements for the last rites.
Locals said that they had been living together for decades and shared a strong bond.
“It is our duty to help neighbours irrespective of their religion. We have been helping them for years, and they have helped us too. We will always help them and always live with them, keeping our age-old tradition of communal harmony intact,” Ghulam Mohiuddin Dar, a village elder, said.
Manoj Kumar Bhat, a relative of the deceased, expressed gratitude to Muslim neighbours for their support.
He said Kashmir serves as a prime example of communal harmony and brotherhood, emphasizing the strong bond shared between Pandits and Muslims that has endured for decades.
“Today, Muslims of the area stood with us and participated in the last rites of Mohan Lal. They remained present till Mohan was cremated,” Kumar said, adding that Muslims and Pandits are incomplete without each other.
