'Killing of 26 civilians in Pahalgam, including my son, avenged': Syed Adil Hussain Shah's father Hyder Shah

NEW DELHI: Hyder Shah, the father of Syed Adil Hussain Shah — the only local Kashmiri among the 26 victims of the Pahalgam terror attack — has praised the Indian armed forces after the successful execution of Operation Sindoor. The large-scale military operation targeted nine terrorist hideouts deep inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) late Wednesday night.Speaking to ANI, Hyder Shah said the Indian Army "avenged" the killing of the 26 civilians in Pahalgam and expressed hope that no other families would suffer a similar fate."We are delighted that killing of those 26 Pahalgam victims, including my son, has been avenged. I thank the govt. Security forces and govt took the revenge so that in the future no one should lose their lives like this. We had confidence in PM Modi, we got justice today," he saidHis brother Syed Nowshaad told ANI, " I thank our security forces, PM Modi, central govt and state govt for taking such a good step. They have avenged the death of those innocent people...we feel proud of our govt, we had faith in them."A pony handler in his 30s earning a daily wage, Shah was the only local civilian who lost his life in the Pahalgam terror attack. Eyewitnesses said Shah tried to wrestle a rifle away from one of the attackers during the deadly attack at Baisaran.His bravery drew widespread attention, with Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah attending the funeral.Speaking to the media, Abdullah urged the government to extend full support to Shah’s grieving family. “He tried to stop the attack. We’ve heard he was targeted after he tried to snatch a terrorist’s rifle. I’ve come here to assure the family that the government will stand by them and help in every way possible,” he said.