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| Fear stricken non-locals | | | Labourers who are fleeing Kashmir after the recent targeted killings of non-locals are a terrified lot. They are asking what their fault is. They had gone to Kashmir to eke out a living and have nothing to do with politics.
Labourers, who fled the Valley, vowed never to return to Kashmir as all of them were of the opinion that life is more important than earning.
In the past fortnight militants have killed eleven civilians out of which five have been non-locals. The target killings have triggered an exodus of the migrant workers and other non-locals from the Valley. The ones leaving the Valley have been visiting Kashmir for the past more than 15-years and have built one or other connection with the Valley.
Their exodus will have a direct impact on different works in Kashmir. Many industries in the Valley are dependent on non-local workers and after them moving out these will become defunct.
The target killings have put the J&K Government in a tight spot and these are an indication that the situation in Kashmir is far from normal. The helmsmen should focus on the situation rather than making tall claims about everything being normal in Kashmir.
The J&K administration needs to get down from the high horse and take feedback from the ground. It cannot just keep on claiming that everything is hunky-dory when it’s not so. The minorities in Kashmir need to be protected as it has been proven beyond doubt that members of the minority communities were soft targets thirty years ago and even today they continue to be on the hit list of the militants.
Kashmir cannot witness development till the peace returns. Peace is a prerequisite for development. If the killings and violence continue nothing can be achieved. Many people are comparing the present situation in Kashmir with the 90s when the target killings of Kashmiri Pandits led to the forced exodus of the entire community from the Valley. This time around hundreds of migrant labourers have been compelled to leave Kashmir as they don’t want to put their lives at risk.
The J&K Government needs to understand that signing Memorandums of Understanding with foreign companies amid the tense situation won’t serve any purpose as no country would like to invest in a region where uncertainty prevails. It’s high time for the helmsmen to give up rhetoric and focus on the issues that are important for the stability of J&K. |
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