Wailing Echoes in the Valley!

Muneer Altaf

In meadows where the sun once kissed,
And laughter danced on morning mist,
A shadow fell, so swift, so grim
Peace drowned beneath a warlike hymn.

They came with hate, with fire and lead,
Where innocence and dreams had fled.
No soldier’s call, no warrior’s fight
Just silent screams in stolen light.

The mountains wept in mute despair,
The chinars shed their crimson care
The river mourned with every wave
For those now sleeping in a grave.

What sin had they? What wrong, what name,
To fall as prey to terror’s flame?
No cause, no creed, no sacred scroll
Can justify a blood-stained soul.

But from the ash and shattered stone,
Shall rise the truth that stands alone:
That love, though bruised, can still endure,
And peace, though scarred, will yet be pure.

So let the bells in valleys ring,
Let mothers cry, let mourners sing,
And in their name, let justice cry—
For none so young should bleed and die.

Let silence hold their names with grace,
Each one a star in heaven’s place.
And may the world, through tearful eyes,
Refuse to let such darkness rise.

(In memory of the victims of the Pahalgam attack, April 22, 2025)

Muneer Altaf is a student at GDC Sogam in 2nd semester