New Delhi

As the nation comes to terms with the devastating loss of lives in the terror attack at Baisaran meadow in South Kashmir's famous resort of Pahalgam on April 22, former Army officer and actor Major (Dr.) Mohammad Ali Shah has written a powerful and emotional open letter addressed to the terrorists. The letter has gone viral on social media.

Calling the attackers “a gang of spineless cowards”, he said the attack left him deeply shaken and angry. Identifying himself as a heartbroken Indian Muslim, he has strongly condemned the terrorists, stating that this kind of violence is not only the murder of innocents but also an assault on the very soul of India.

“When you attacked civilians in Pahalgam, you pierced the heart of every Indian who still believes in unity, peace, and justice,” the letter read.

Shah is from a family with deep roots in service and patriotism.

His father, Lieutenant General Zameer Uddin Shah, retired as the Deputy Chief of the Army Staff and also served as the Vice-Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University later.

Major Shah has worked in Bollywood films like ‘Haider’, ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’, ‘Mozzie’, and ‘Avrodh’ — shot in Kashmir, and, were based on themes of love and unity.

To the perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack, he said they were trying to violate the sanctity of these valleys. "Your bullets cannot suppress beauty; Your hatred cannot erase harmony,” he wrote.

Questioning the motive of terrorists, Major Shah asked them if they were fighting in the name of Islam or for Kashmir. He told them, "No, this is not jihad. This is a sin."

"Islam teaches protection of the innocent, not their slaughter," he wrote. He said that due to such acts, the patriotic Muslims were suspected by others. "We are made to justify crimes we never committed."

"You did not just attack Kashmir; you attacked all of us. But we — the real Muslims, the real Indians — are still standing. And we are angry, not afraid," he wrote.

Major Shah paid tribute to the victims of the Pahalgam massacre and said, "his voice will echo deep into the soul of the nation."

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He ended the letter "Jai Hind" (Hail India).