Jammu, 20 May (H.S.): Muslims and Sikhs in the Tral area of Pulwama district participated in the last rites of a Kashmiri Pandit woman, officials said on Wednesday.

Jigri, a 90-year-old woman who stayed in her native village of Midora in the Tral area even after the rise of militancy in 1990, passed away in the village on Tuesday.

As soon as the news of her death spread in the area, hundreds of people — Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus –assembled at her family home to help with the last rites, officials said.

Her mortal remains were consigned to flames at the local crematorium. A resident, Ayatollah, said, “She was our mother, and we are all mourning her. You can see Sikhs, Pandits and Muslims are all assembled here in grief.” He said Jigri’s family, including her husband, lived in harmony throughout the tumultuous period the valley went through over the past 35 years.

“Her husband was working as a hakeem (traditional health practitioner), and he would treat the people here for ailments. We would rarely need to see a doctor,” he said.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Krishan Kumar