Tribune News Service

Chandigarh/Jalandhar, May 1

Jalandhar teenager Gurmehar Kaur was just two when she lost her father, Captain Mandeep Singh, who made the supreme sacrifice during the 1999 Kargil war. Now, she is telling her story through a four-minute video on YouTube, but without uttering a word. She simply holds up a succession of placards revealing her experiences and conveying her powerful message for peace between India and Pakistan.The video has been produced and shared by Ram Subramanian, the Mumbai-based founder of #ProfileForPeace, a hashtag campaign that has gone viral on social media.In a style reminiscent of silent movies, Gurmehar recalls “how much I hated Pakistan and Pakistanis because they killed my dad. I used to hate Muslims too, because I thought that all Muslims are Pakistanis”.She remembers, “When I was six, I tried to stab a lady in a burqa because for some strange reason I thought she was responsible for my father’s death. My mother (posted as an ETO) held me back and made me understand that Pakistan did not kill my dad, war killed him. It took me a while to know, but today I do, I have learnt to let go of my hate.”Gurmehar goes on to boldly question “the calibre of the leadership of both nations”.”We cannot dream of becoming a first-world country with a third-world leadership. Please pull your socks up, talk to each other and get the job done,” she asserts in a no-nonsense way. The 19-year-old signs off with a wish to live in a world where there are no Gurmehar Kaurs who miss their dads. While Gurmehar, who is a tennis player, is pursuing Plus Two in Commerce, her sister Bani, who was just five months old at the time of Capt Mandeep’s martyrdom, is 17. Lovingly called Gulgul at home, Gurmehar, says her uncle Prof Davinderdeep Singh, who teaches English literature at Nakodar’s DAV College, “is among the rare creed of children who are mature beyond years”.As Jammu and Kashmir CM Mehbooba Mufti put it, if Iran and the US can learn to live in peace, why not India and Pakistan? Gurmehar would agree.

For ‘Muslim haters’, Kargil martyr Capt Mandeep’s daughter shares powerful video

Gurmehar Kaur, daughter of Capt Mandeep has made a video pleading peace between India and Pakistan

Jalandhar: If you too belong to the long list of ‘Muslim Haters’, then a ‘powerful but silent’ video made by the young daughter of a Kargil martyr Capt Mandeep Singh should definitely be watched.

Gurmehar Kaur, the 19-year old daughter of the slain officer hailing from Jalandhar has made a silent but 4 minute video, where she was holding placards with her heart felt emotions on hate against Muslims and war between India and Pakistan. The video made by Ram Subramaniam was widely being shared on the social media platform.

In the video, Gurmehar has strongly highlighted that how she used to hate ‘Muslims’ considering them solely responsible for killing her father in the 1999 Kargil war. The young girl shared that how her thoughts changed for the Muslims, when none other than her mother, Rajwinder Kaur changed her perspective.

Rajwinder Kaur, the widow of Capt Mandeep, Rajwinder Kaur was currently posted as Assistant Excise and Taxation Officer at Ludhiana. At present, Rajwinder was staying with her two daughters at Jalandhar. Capt Mandeep was married for just five years, when the tragedy struck.

Gurmehar was mere two years old, when she lost her father in the Kargil war, which snatched many precious lives of the Indian soldiers. The then Deputy Director District Sainik Board, Col Manmohan Singh (retd) said that Capt Mandeep of 49 Armoured Division Regiment was killed in Kupwara (Jammu and Kashmir) on August 6, 1999 when the terrorists stormed an Army Camp of 4 Rashtriya Rifles.

The message of Gurmehar reads, “This is my Dad Capt Mandeep Singh. My name is Gurmehar Kaur, I am from Jalandhar India. He was killed in the 1999 Kargil war I was two years old, when he died. I have very few memories of him. I have more memories of how it feels to ‘Not have a father’. I also remember how much I used to hate Pakistan and Pakistanis because they killed my dad. I used to hate Muslims too because I thought all Muslims were Pakistanis. When I was six years old, I tried to stab a lady in Burkha because for some strange reason, I thought she was responsible for my father’s death. My mother held me back and made me understand that Pakistan did not kill my dad, war killed him. It took me a while to know but today I do have learnt to let go of my hate. It was not easy but it’s difficult. If I can do it, so can you. Today, I am a soldier too just like my dad. I fight for peace between India and Pakistan because if there was no war between us, my father would still be here.”

Gurmehar has further shared, “I am making this video because I want the government of both the countries to stop pretending and solve the problem. If France and Germany can become friends after two World Wars, if Japan and USA can put their past behind and work towards progress, then why cant we? Majority of regular Indians and Pakistanis want peace, not war. I am questioning the caliber of leadership of both the nations. We cannot dream of becoming a first world country with third world leadership.”

“Enough people have died on both sides of the border. Enough is Enough. I wish to live on a world where there are no Gurmehar Kaurs who miss their dad. I am not alone there are many like me. Profile for peace”, her messages read. Surely, a soul stirring message for Muslim haters and those seeking wars between India and Pakistan!