Music composer Salim Merchant has shared a video condemning the terror attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir.
In the video shared on Instagram, he said, "The innocent people who were killed in Pahalgam were targeted because they were Hindus and not Muslims. Are the killers Muslims? No, they're terrorists. Because Islam doesn't teach this."
Quoting verse 256 from the Quran, the composer added, "It is said that there is no compulsion in religion. This is written in the Quran Sharif."
“Mujhe sharam aa rahi hai as a Muslim ki yeh din dekhna padh raha hai (As a Muslim, I feel ashamed that we have to see this day) that my innocent Hindu brothers and sisters were brutally murdered simply for their identity. When will this hatred end? Kashmir had finally begun to heal, and now this. I don't even know how to put my grief and anger into words. I pray with my head bowed for the innocent people who lost their lives," Salim Merchant continued.
He concluded the video by saying, “May God give strength to the families who have lost their loved ones. I pray for peace in their hearts. Om Shanti.”
Earlier, Salim Merchant also shared a touching note on Instagram.
He wrote, “My heart breaks for Kashmir today. In a place that sings of beauty and dreams, terror has once again silenced laughter and stolen precious lives. Families shattered. Futures destroyed. There are no words strong enough to heal the pain, no justice swift enough to undo the horror."
He added, "We cry for those we lost. We ache for those left behind. And we hold on to hope–hope that someday, the guns will fall silent, and only love will echo through those mountains."
The attack took place at a popular meadow near Pahalgam on April 22, where the terrorists open fired at tourists, killing 26.