Anantnag, 21 September 2025 – In a poignant moment that resonated across social media, eight-year-old twin sisters Zainab and Zaiba from the flood-hit Kokernag area in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district extended a heartfelt invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit the valley. The duo, capturing the innocence of childhood amid tragedy, urged the Prime Minister to witness Kashmir’s timeless beauty while seeking urgent support for communities ravaged by recent floods and landslides.The touching interaction, captured on video and shared widely on Sunday, occurred during a visit by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Jammu and Kashmir unit chief Ravinder Raina to the Jablipora Fruit Mandi. Raina was there to commiserate with horticulture traders who suffered massive losses due to highway blockades from landslides and heavy monsoon rains. Dressed in traditional attire, the twins spoke with remarkable poise, their words blending awe for their homeland with pleas for relief. “We wanted Modi to visit Kashmir because Kashmir is really beautiful.
Modi’s visit to Kashmir would have added to the valley’s splendour,” Zainab said, eliciting cheers from the gathered crowd.Zaiba echoed her sister’s sentiment, detailing the devastation: “We have suffered huge losses. Our bridge was washed away in the rain. Apple traders and those who owned orchards suffered terrible losses.” The girls also called for essential infrastructure, specifically a cold storage facility to preserve the region’s prized apple harvest, which has been crippled by the disasters. “We want that… he should come to our Kashmir in summer or when winter comes. We are requesting him once again,” Zainab added, her voice carrying a mix of hope and urgency.Recent floods and landslides in Anantnag and surrounding areas have wreaked havoc, washing away bridges, submerging farmlands, and blocking vital supply routes like the Jammu-Srinagar highway. The disasters have led to significant economic fallout, particularly for apple growers and traders, with rotten produce and disrupted markets exacerbating the crisis. Local authorities estimate losses in the horticulture sector alone at hundreds of crores, affecting thousands of families in south Kashmir.
The video, which amassed thousands of views within hours, has sparked widespread empathy and calls for action on platforms like X. Users hailed the twins as “little ambassadors of Kashmir,” with many amplifying their message using hashtags like #ModiToKashmir and #KashmirFloodRelief. Raina, who shared the clip, praised the girls’ spirit, stating it exemplified the resilience of Jammu and Kashmir’s youth.As of now, the Prime Minister’s Office has not issued an official response, but the incident underscores the human toll of the ongoing crisis and the yearning for central intervention. Relief efforts continue, with NGOs and state agencies distributing aid, but experts emphasize the need for long-term measures like improved disaster infrastructure and storage facilities to safeguard the valley’s agrarian backbone.
