'Faced Many Challenges But...': J&K's Insha, Who Lost Eyesight in Pellet Gun Attack, Clears Class 12 Exam

Insha Mushtaq, a 22-year-old student who was blinded by pellet gun attack during the 2016 agitation in Jammu and Kashmir after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani, has passed Class 12 board exams with flying colours

“I was very sad about what has happened to me initially, but I did not give up, I have faced many challenges in life,”  Mushtaq said, talking to News18 after her result.

Insha added that she worked very hard and was expecting to cross the 400 mark in her board exams, but was able to achieve her grades because of unwavering support of her family.

Mushtaq secured 319 marks out of 500 in the Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education, the result for which were declared on Friday. She had cleared the Class 10 examination two years after losing her vision.

After she lost her eyesight, Insha underwent six surgeries but her eyesight, lost due to ruptured retina and optic nerve, could not be recovered.

Despite of everything, her passion for things did not die, and she did not lose hoping in doing things she wanted to. She says she always had the support of her family amid all challenges and tough times.

In an interview with News18 in 2017, Insha said that her blindness hasn’t stopped her from following her favorite game cricket.

Insha, who had become the face of pellet victims to lose their vision, also expressed gratitude to Jammu and Kashmir Centre For Peace And Justice (JKCPJ) – a non-governmental organisation (NGO) for their support.

After this, Insha wants to pursue her bachelor’s degree and take coaching classes for the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exam.

“I want to become an IAS officer so that I can become an example for all the visually impaired persons. I want each one of them to become independent and move ahead in life,” she said talking to news agency PTI.

She also highlighted the need for a school for the visually impaired in different parts of the country, adding that there is little awareness in the Kashmir valley on the subject.

Insha was hit by pellets on July 11, 2016, three days after Wani – the commander of a militant outfit – was killed in an encounter with the security forces. She was at her home and had opened a window to look outside when the tragedy struck.

Hundreds, like Insha, were permanently blinded after protests broke out across the Valley following the death of militant Burhan Wani, a commander of terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen, in an encounter with security forces on July 8 last year.