Srinagar: Post abrogation of Article 370 when the authorities in Kashmir came under global criticism, the police found its admirers in Tel Aviv, USA and other parts of the world. In a letter to the Kashmir police, an American citizen Mr. Demetrius Fassas and his wife thanked the Police for helping them move out of the Valley amidst complete communication blockade. “We came to the tourist police station in Srinagar on August 7, 2019, in search of permission for ourselves and a driver to leave Srinagar for Ladakh. It was the time when the curfew was in effect when tension was high and emotions were in flux. Despite tumultuous political conditions, the Kashmir police and many other Kashmiris that have come to our aid have done so in the most humbling spirit of service,” reads the letter.
Mr. Fassas and his wife were stuck for two days in a hotel in Pahalgam after the authorities imposed a curfew and complete communication blockade to stave off protests against the abrogation of Article 370. The American couple described the Kashmir police as “the most professional and kind force”. “The kindness shown to us in all our interactions with the police has been unparalleled by any police force we have ever contacted in the world,” reads the letter. The Americans were overawed by the help extended by the then SHO, Tourist Police Station, Mr. Suhail Rashool Bhat. “Not only he got us curfew passes, but also shared contacts for the next leg of our journey to Ladakh,” Mr. Fassas said.
With the promise to return to Kashmir again, they thanked the Kashmir police and “all of the outstanding Kashmiri people who have helped us in our travels. We will return.” In another letter by two elderly women, who had lost contact with their family in Israel, the Kashmir police were described as comprising men of hospitable nature. “Our families were worried back home in Tel Aviv. We didn’t have contact with them for two days. Our hotel didn’t have the Internet,” narrated Ms. Ruth Hefer, who has written the letter both in English and Hebrew languages. Both women were in their 70s. They were staying in a hotel on Boulevard Road along the Dal Lake. The police were first contacted by Tel Aviv-based private company Magnus, which engages in rescue operations and later by the Israel Embassy in New Delhi.
“We activated our sources to locate the women and found them in a hotel,” Mr. Rasool said. The police picked them up from the hotel and arranged a phone call with Hefer’s daughter in Tel Aviv. “They let us speak from their office to my daughter in Israel. They gave us coffee and green tea. They were very welcoming,” Hefer said. Mr. Rasool also arranged tickets for them and a taxi from the hotel to the airport.
