"Munir Will Know Pain The Day...": Father Of Navy Officer Killed In Pahalgam

Lieutenant Vinay Narwal, aged 26, got married on April 16. Less than a week later, he was gunned down by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam. An image of Himanshi Narwal, his wife, sitting next to his body became one of the defining images of one of the worst terror attacks in living memory. Today, Lt Narwal's father, Rajesh, lives with a grief he describes as unrelenting, and one that, he says, Pakistan's military chief General Asim Munir will only understand if "someone harms his son or daughter."

"He (General Asim Munir) will only be able to understand my pain the day someone harms his son or daughter. The day he learns that his son or daughter was killed in a terrorist attack, only then will he understand the pain. If I, an ordinary person, were given a gun to shoot and took his son or daughter, then he would know the pain," Rajesh Narwal told NDTV. 

The wedding ceremony in Karnal was followed by a reception three days later. The couple left for Kashmir on their honeymoon. On April 22, while the newlyweds sat in the scenic meadow of Baisaran -- also referred to as 'Mini Switzerland' -- sharing a plate of bhelpuri, a gunman approached and shot Lt Narwal in the head at point-blank range.

"I can't even cry in front of my family," Rajesh Narwal told NDTV. "My wife, my parents, they are all broken. But I must stay composed so they feel I am strong. There is no peace of mind. It's been so many days, and we can't sleep. Our minds are in a complete blackout. No one is able to sleep for more than two or three hours. When we go to the psychiatrist, they prescribe medicines. But there is no cure for this. We develop other ailments. This is how we are."

Lt Narwal's body was flown from Kashmir to the national capital before being taken to his hometown. Naval personnel, family, and local residents lined up to pay final respects. The officer's cap rested atop his coffin as his widow performed the final rites.

A bright student, he joined the Navy through the Services Selection Board, rising to the rank of Lieutenant within two years. His father, a student of international relations and diplomacy himself, described Vinay as a child drawn to the military from an early age.

"He was fascinated by soldiers. He would drag me to the roadside to watch convoys. He had that spark, leadership, courage, discipline. My wife, parents and I built him together over thirty years. We taught him to speak the truth and live with integrity. He lived fearlessly. He died that way. He is - and will always be - my hero," Rajesh Narwal told NDTV. "Vinay is always on my mind, 24 hours a day. When I wake up in the morning, he is the first thing I see."

Speaking on the designation of The Resistance Front by the United States as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT), Rajesh Narwal welcomed the move, but said symbolism was not enough. The TRF, a proxy of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, was accused of claiming responsibility for multiple attacks, including the one in Pahalgam.

"The US government has taken this step, but it's not something that happened overnight. The TRF was formed in 2019 when our government revoked Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. It is their mask. Terrorist organisations, whether in India or any corner of the world, are not finished just by sanctions. I believe that such organisations, whose ideology is to spread terrorism and harm society, must face more than sanctions. This should not be limited to our country or the US. Sanctions alone are not enough. When we see their photos and identify their ideology, their actions, and their funding sources, where the money comes from and which organisations support them, then we know who they are. They should be eradicated," Rajesh Narwal told NDTV. 

In what the Indian government termed a "measured and proportionate" military response, the Army on the night of July 16 launched Operation Sindoor, striking nine locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The locations included Muzaffarabad, Kotli, Bahawalpur, Rawalakot, Chakswari, Bhimber, Neelum Valley, Jhelum, and Chakwa.

Trending News