I write to you as a furious, broken-hearted Indian Muslim. A man whose soul is torn between unimaginable grief and blazing rage. Because when you attacked civilians in Pahalgam, you did not just target a place—you pierced through the heart of every Indian who believes in unity, in peace, and in justice.
And I speak not just as an individual, but as the son of a family that has lived and breathed service to this nation. Patriotism runs through my veins. My father, Lt. Gen. Zameer Uddin Shah, retired as the Deputy Chief of Army Staff and later became a voice for the Muslim intelligentsia as the Vice Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University. His younger brother, the celebrated actor Naseeruddin Shah—a recipient of the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan—and my father’s elder brother, a respected IIT-ian, have all been honoured by the President of India for their distinguished contributions to this great nation.
My family has always been treated with dignity, and I have always been a proud Indian before being anything else. It is from this legacy of honour, service, and nation-first values that I draw my strength—and it is exactly this legacy that makes your actions even more revolting to me.
So many of the films I have acted in—stories that celebrated love, sacrifice, and unity—were shot in the breathtaking valleys of Pahalgam and across Kashmir. National award-winning films like Haider, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Mojhi, and even the web series Avrodh, where I portrayed a Para Commando, were born in these very lands you have tried to desecrate. I have walked those serene paths, felt the purity of the mountain air, and seen firsthand the harmony that lives in every fold of those hills. In my TEDx talks across the world, I have spoken of India’s soul—its strength in diversity, its unmatched spiritual and cultural richness. And today, you have tried to rip that soul apart.
But let me tell you something: your bullets cannot silence beauty. Your hatred cannot erase harmony. Pahalgam is not just a location—it is a living memory of what India truly stands for. And by spilling blood on its soil, you have not weakened us. You have reminded us of what we must protect—with more resolve than ever before.
You claim to fight for something. For what? For Islam? For Kashmir?
Do not insult our intelligence.
You are not freedom fighters. You are not warriors. You are cowards hiding behind guns, masks, and false slogans. You are butchers. You targeted civilians, tourists, children, mothers, pilgrims, newlyweds—unarmed, defenceless human beings. And you dare to call this Jihad?
No, this is not Jihad. Jihad means “struggle.” What you did was gunah—sin, bloodshed, and a betrayal of both humanity and God. You have dragged the name of Allah through the blood-soaked soil of Pahalgam. You have taken a religion of peace, twisted and misinterpreted it, and turned it into a weapon of terror. You shameful creatures—you will rot in hell.
I am ashamed that you and I were born into the same faith—because we are nothing alike. My religion is humanity. The Islam I know teaches me to protect the innocent. Yours glorifies slaughter. My Islam teaches me to serve my country. Yours tells you to tear it apart.
No matter how much I curse you in my heart, it will still be too little.
And because of you, I now carry a burden I never asked for. Every time someone hears a Muslim name or sees a skullcap; there’s suspicion in their eyes. All because of you. Right-thinking, patriotic Muslims who love their motherland are forced to explain, defend, and apologize—for crimes they never committed and beliefs they never endorsed.
You have taken lives. But worse—you have tried to take away trust. You have tried to make it impossible for an Indian Muslim to love his country openly, freely, without being questioned.
That is your real crime.
And guess what? You have failed.
You will always fail.
Because we—the real Muslims, the real Indians—are still standing. And we are furious. Not afraid—furious. We will not be pushed into corners. We will not be silenced by your bullets. We will not let you rewrite what it means to be one of us.
To the people of India—please do not confuse these monsters with your Muslim brothers and sisters. We are bleeding with you. We are angry with you. And we are not your enemy. We are just as victimised by these cowards as every other Indian.
To the terrorists—you are nothing but a stain, a blot, a rotting scar on the face of humanity. But this country, this unity, this idea of India—is eternal.
You tried to terrorize us. But you have only awakened us.
To the families in Pahalgam, I offer not just prayers, but a promise: We will not forget. We will not forgive. We will not rest until your loss echoes in the conscience of this country—and justice is served. Not just in the courts, but in the soul of this nation.
How dare you ask names and religions before killing? You are not Muslims. The Muslim community around the world disowns you. Bloody terrorists.
You did not just attack Kashmir.
You attacked all of us.
And we will rise—as a nation, as Indians.
Jai Hind!
– Major (Dr.) Mohammad Ali shah
The author is an Army Veteran, Actor, and International TedX Speaker.
