‘We are united against terrorism’: Malerkotla sends out strong message of communal harmony

A candlelight march was held in Malerkotla, the only Muslim-majority district of Punjab, in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack.

ludhiana candle march against pehelgam attack and terrorism

Candle march by Malerkotla residents on Friday evening. (Express Photo)

3 min readChandigarh/ludhianaApr 27, 2025 11:10 AM IST First published on: Apr 27, 2025 at 11:10 AM IST

Amid stray incidents of harassment of Kashmiri students in Punjab’s Kharar and Dera Bassi areas after the Pahalgam terror attack, a strong message of communal harmony came from Malerkotla — the only Muslim-majority district of the state.

A candlelight march was organised in Malerkotla on Friday evening, featuring participation from people of various backgrounds and faiths. The event was initiated by the residents of Malerkotla, who came together as a united community to walk in solidarity.

Ankur Yakhmi, former BJP councillor and one of the organisers, said, “Terrorism has no religion… the call was purely non-political, and AAP MLA Jameel-ur-Rehman, former IAS and PCS officers, members of mandir committees, Muslim community and people from all walks came together… we all are united at this hour.”

Nadim Anwar Khan, a descendant of Malerkotla’s Nawab Sher Mohammad Khan and a participant in the march, told The Indian Express, “The candle march was organised to send out a message that we all are united against terrorism. Punjab has always set an example of communal harmony, and we continue to spread that message even today. The ones who kill others can never be called Muslims. Although we did see some stray incidents of harassment in Punjab, they were quickly brought under control. This march is a reminder that people of all religions live peacefully in Punjab, especially in Malerkotla.”

He added,” A narrative is being created to spread hatred against a community after this terror attack…hence the idea behind the candle march was that we all are united and standing tall with each other. We are proud that one of the victims, Adil Hussain, laid down his life to protect tourists..and the way taxi drivers and pony riders have helped many tourists is commendable. They have stood by the ‘Ganga Jamuni Tehzeeb of our country.”

Former IAS officer Gurloveleen Singh Sidhu, Tarsem Singh Bhudan (president of the Ahrtiya Association of Malerkotla), members of the Kali Mata Mandir Committee, and many others participated in the march, which took place from 7 pm to 8 pm across the town.

Commenting on the recent terror attack, Nadim Anwar Khan said, “The people behind the Pahalgam attack should be given the strictest punishment.”

He further added, “People should not try to target any community during this tense period, but should stay united and fight against terrorism. We are standing tall with our Hindu community, and Malerkotla has always set an example for the world in this context.”

Saify Mukarram, a member of the joint action committee Punjab, which is aimed at communal harmony, said,” We are proud of the Kashmiris who laid their lives in the Pahalgam episode. They did so in order to prevent terrorists from killing innocent tourists.”

It is pertinent to mention that as per the 2012 census, Muslims comprise about 1.9 per cent of Punjab’s population, with Malerkotla being the only Muslim-majority district. Until 2011, Malerkotla was part of Sangrur district, which had an over 10 per cent Muslim population at the time. Malerkotla was declared a separate district in June 2020.