People’s Conference Chairman Sajad Gani Lone on Saturday expressed serious concern over alleged harassment of Kashmiris residing in various parts of the country, urging the Centre to treat the issue as a matter of national security rather than an isolated incident.
Addressing a press conference here, Lone, said, “Thousands of Kashmiris, particularly from North Kashmir districts like Kupwara, have been living and working across the country for decades and have contributed to national integration.”
“If we are treated like this in our own country, then what is our status?” Lone quoted families as saying.
He said, “While a few arrests have been made that’s just a drop in the ocean compared to the scale of incidents being reported.”
Lone cautioned that such actions risk undoing decades of social and emotional bridges between Kashmir and the rest of the country. “These people were ambassadors of integration. Their economic and emotional connection was with India now you are breaking that bond,” he said.
Urging the Prime Minister and the Home Minister to intervene, he said, “Those involved in targeting Kashmiris be booked under strict laws, including PSA or UAPA.”
He also appealed to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to raise the issue with chief ministers of concerned states. “You have done good work here; please pick up the phone and tell them this will not be tolerated,” he said, adding that continued silence could have implications for law and order within J&K as well.
Lone lauded the people of Punjab for their support and respect towards Kashmiris, saying, “They treat us with dignity, and I salute them,” while pointing out that similar sensitivity was lacking in some regions of Himachal and Uttarakhand.
On the issue of reservation, he said the government’s recent moves were unjust and lacked proper assessment. “The new policy is not even worth the paper it’s written on. Only district or divisional-level recruitment can ensure fairness,” he said, accusing successive governments of eroding equitable representation over time.
Lone also reiterated that his party’s stance on reservation was clear and that any attempt to replace “Kashmiri A with Kashmiri B” would be dangerous and divisive.
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