Pahalgam victim's wife is yet to come to terms with grief; thanks PM for Op Sindoor

A year after losing her husband and teenage son in the Pahalgam terror attack, Kajalben Parmar is yet to put the trauma behind her, but she thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday for Operation Sindoor as it brought her a ''sense of justice''. Bhavnagar resident Yatishbhai Parmar, a hair salon owner, and his 17-year-old son Smit were among those killed by terrorists in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22, 2025. Kajalben, who was with them, survived the attack. Recalling that tragic day, Kajalben told PTI that the loss left her ''completely helpless''. ''I lost my husband and my son...They became martyrs for the country. Even today, I am not able to come to terms with it,'' she said, her voice marked by anguish. The trauma also took a toll on her health, requiring frequent hospitalisations in the last one year. ''For the last two days, I was admitted to hospital. My chest hurts often,'' said the 45-year-old. Her primary concern now is the future of her elder son, Abhishek (23), who is currently completing a lab technician's course. ''My only demand from the government is that my son should get a small government job. I have no financial support now,'' she said, adding that the family has made multiple representations to authorities but not received any concrete assistance so far. ''We ran around everywhere, approached officials, but we have not received any support or cooperation,'' she said. Kajalben, however, expressed appreciation for the government's response to the attack, particularly Operation Sindoor, which she said brought her some sense of justice. ''I want to meet Modi Sir once and thank him for carrying out Operation Sindoor....My only prayer to Modi Sir is to wipe out terrorism completely,'' she said. Her son is always worried about her health and their uncertain future, Kajalben said. Apart from the Parmar father-son duo, Surat resident Shailesh Kalathiya was also among the three victims from Gujarat.