JKPC C’person Sajad Lone Urges Centre to Ensure Safety of Kashmiris Across India

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Conference (JKPC) President and MLA Handwara, Sajad Gani Lone, on Thursday voiced serious concern over reports of alleged harassment faced by Kashmiris in various parts of the country, urging the central government to take immediate steps to safeguard their rights and dignity.

Lone, in a statement issued here, said disturbing accounts of Kashmiris being stereotyped and targeted have been surfacing with increasing frequency. “Reports of harassment of Kashmiris across India are coming in. Stereotyping a Kashmiri has unfortunately become a favourite hobby across the country,” he said, adding, “while such attitudes are not new, they have become more chronic in the last decade.”

Expressing the growing worry among families back home, Lone said that lakhs of Kashmiris are currently living outside the region for education, business, or employment. “Their families are deeply concerned that no untoward incident should endanger the safety of their loved ones,” he said.

Acknowledging the presence of fringe elements, Lone however stressed that such individuals do not represent society at large. “Yes, there are radical lunatics in every society, but they remain an aberration,” Lone said. He cautioned, however, that in the context of Kashmir, “the primary purpose of their actions is to ensure that the Kashmiri is harassed and chased away in his own country, and used as fodder in the vicious cycle of alienation.”

Appealing directly to the Prime Minister’s Office and the Union Home Ministry, Lone urged the Centre to ensure that all citizens, Kashmiris included, are treated with fairness and protected from harassment. “Please ensure that any citizen of India, including Kashmiris, is not harassed in their own country,” he said.