India Untold: 'Rabbit Girl' of Kashmir rises as a symbol of hope after Pahalgam terror attack

After the deadly Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 tourists, Kashmir’s ‘Rabbit Girl’ Rubeena  has emerged as a symbol of resilience, offering help amid chaos. She works as a guide to help her struggling family. 

As gunfire tore through the peaceful meadows of Baisaran, near Pahalgam, fear gripped hundreds of visitors. But 16-year-old Rubeena, a modest guide once known for posing with her pet rabbit, rose above the chaos to help those fleeing for their lives. Her quiet bravery has become a powerful symbol of Kashmir’s undying spirit.

It was a serene afternoon until gunmen stormed the Baisaran Eco Park on Tuesday, just five kilometres from the popular hill town of Pahalgam. In a brutal attack, 26 tourists were killed and 17 others injured.

In the midst of this horror, Rubeena’s story shines, reports Kashmir Times. Working as a guide to help her struggling family, she was with a couple from Chennai when gunshots shattered the air around 2 PM. “At first we thought it was firecrackers," Rubeena recalled, her voice still trembling. “Then came the screaming, the running. Everyone was desperate to escape.”

After reaching safety, Rubeena didn’t think of herself. Braving the chaos, she returned repeatedly to the park gates, searching for the couple she had guided. Around her, shattered glass, abandoned shoes, and terrified tourists painted a grim picture of the attack’s devastation.

Back home, Rubeena and her sister Mumtaza — herself nursing a fractured foot — turned their small mud-thatch house into a shelter, offering water, comfort, and refuge to shaken survivors. Mumtaza even carried a child to safety in her arms.

Their father, Ghulam Ahmad Awan, watched helplessly as the tragedy unfolded. Sick and unable to work, he relies entirely on his daughters’ earnings to keep the family afloat. "It was like Doomsday," he said, his voice cracking. "We thank God they returned alive."

In the wake of the attack, Kashmir has united in grief. Silent marches, candlelight vigils, and complete shutdowns have swept through the valley. Pahalgam's hotels, shopkeepers, and pony-wallas have all joined in mourning, standing shoulder to shoulder with the victims’ families.

For many, Rubeena — once the smiling ‘Rabbit Girl’ — now stands as a quiet testament to the resilience of Kashmir’s youth. “She didn’t think twice before risking herself for strangers," a local guide said. "She is the real heart of Kashmir—kind, fearless, unbreakable."

Today, Rubeena sits on her wooden cot, her world forever changed. Her beloved rabbit is gone. The tourists she once welcomed with a smile are fewer. But her spirit, like the snow-clad mountains around her, endures.

"I just want peace," she whispered. “I want people to come back to these mountains. I want them to smile, not to fear.”