Srinagar: Six IAF personnel were killed lasg time when a Mi-17 helicopter got crashed in Budgam. An enquiry is still going on to find the people responsible for that crash. However, a 17-year old Budgam boy, Mudasir Ashraf emerged as the hero of February 26 Balakot airstrikes as he risked his life to get closer to the crashed chopper and attempted to save a fellow civilian Kifayat Hussain, who was burning alive.
Last week, Mudasir was one of the 22 recipients for the National Bravery Award announced on 25th Jan 2019 in New Delhi. Now Mudassir wants to become a IAF officer or an Army officer in near future.
Mudasir told us that “When I rushed in, I thought I was helping the pilot because I could see a man trapped under the helicopter debris,” “We started running as we heard two loud sounds of the blast.” I pulled him out but Hussain succumbed to his injuries. I later then joined the rescue team and helped retrieve the roasted corpses of the IAF personnel. Mudasir is a student of Amar Singh College in Srinagar.
Mudisar thanked Indian Army for their support and want to help the people of the valley in the same way whenever required. The family of Mudisar is very happy.
Mudasir is not the only acknowledged brave young man. The other Kashmiri is Sartaj Mohidin Mughal, 16, who exhibited bravery on the evening of October 24, 2019, when Pakistani gunners pounded Chowkibal and Tumina. One shell landed at his Tumina home. He jumped out and then rescued his parents and two sisters, Saniya, 8, and Sadiya, 2, from the house that was burning. He got a serious leg injury in the rescue and once they moved out, their home got collapsed.
Now the change in thinking of Kashmir youth is considering to be a big change that can lead towards development and progress of the UT as the youth of valley want to prove their talent which they have already proved on national and international level before.
