Peeling back
After the Centre’s move to revoke J&K’S special status in August last year, the recently christened UT has faced the longest communication lockdown in global history which has led to harsh consequences for residents working in industries like journalism a
On a sunny morning in January, Bilal along with his father sat in their shop, which they own in Srinagar’s Downtown area. The father-son duo owns a modest fabric shop, which sells home linen such as curtains, bed sheets alongside other decor materials. In an alley, which is a market area, a lull silence takes over while Bilal pours his tea into a cup – his mind distressed from the loss in business his family had incurred since August 5.
“Earlier we used to have a sale of Rs 10,000 to 15,000 per day, but now it doesn’t even reach Rs 1,000. The condition is so bad that we don’t even know what to do next,” said Bilal, as his father quietly looked outside the shop.
Post abrogation of special status of Jammu and Kashmir by modifying Article 370 on August 5, Kashmir’s economy has been drastically hit as the government had for almost five months shut down all modes of communication. While 2G internet has been working, less than 300 websites are accessible. This has affected almost every sector in the state, which is still under lockdown.
“We have been expecting things to get better and our business to come back to normalcy. There are many families whose business have been hit and we still don’t have a clear picture ahead. We want the government to intervene and help the people out of this financial crisis,” said Bilal’s father’s, Sheikh Mohammed.
The internet shutdown was not only humiliating but distressing for the people of Kashmir. At a time when the internet has become a necessity, almost 8 million people were ripped off of it for security reasons. This affected the economic, social, as well as mental aspects of the people residing in this beautiful valley. Business sectors were hit to such an extent that had left many unemployed. The situation is such that Jammu and Kashmir is leading the unemployment charts across the country with at least 2.50 lakh unemployed youth registering themselves with the district employment and counselling centres in 2019, according to various sources. MEDIA SECTOR HIT
Shahid Imran is the editor of Kashmir based journalism website called Kashmir Crown, who has his base in Kupwara. His business suffered immense blow since August 5, which has resulted in a huge amount of monetary loss. “For the past six months, we are suffering because we have not been able to connect with our people. We make money from our website, and with the internet being shut, we are looking for other income options. In the age we
live in, the internet is not just a vital thing, it’s a necessity,” he told Millenniumpost.
Imran said that the condition was quite desperate for him as he had to travel back and forth from Kupwara to Delhi to just upload his stories. “We somehow managed to survive in Kashmir these past six months, but ultimately after some time, it got more difficult, because I couldn’t upload the stories from Kashmir. I did one story in November; I recorded the story in Kupwara, but came to Delhi to upload the story,” he said adding that whatever is happening at the moment is an agony for the people of the land.
In agony, Imran said, “Journalism is all about communication, which is a basic idea of interacting with people. Media is the dissemination of information and when you are blocking the internet, it affects my integrity and my independence being a journalist.”
He said that about 50 of his employees had to leave jobs due to the problems of salary. “As journalists and editors, my team has suffered a lot. Many of our guys lost jobs and were completely unemployed,” he added.
He also said that one of his employees, who was a promising journalist is now doing a meagre job in Rajasthan, as there is no opportunity available in Kashmir. An independent journalist from Kashmir said that in a desperate attempt to gain some kind of livelihood, many Kashmiri youths are shifting base to other states as there are no opportunities here. “After students finish their education in Kashmir, they leave for Delhi or some other state to find better opportunities, for jobs are a scarce entity here,” he said.
At Pulwama’s market, Ahmed (name changed) owns a fabric shop. A young educated lad, Ahmed started working at the shop as he found no job opportunities after completing his studies. “Kashmiris have never been accepted and never cared about. In fact, as one can see Kashmiris are on most instances termed as terrorists,” said a frustrated Ahmed.
He also said that since the abrogation, his business has suffered a loss in crores, and even though his business is not making any sales, he has to pay his supplier every month. “This is a seasonal shop. During Eid and marriage, we sell most of the stuff. Now, all our summer stuff is as it is. We couldn’t sell it and it is just withering away in a corner. Now winter is here, and when summer arrives new fashion will come, so all this stuff is wasted,” he added.
With so much loss of livelihood and economy, will the people be compensated for a decision that they never really were a part of? Gulzar said the shikara walas were promised relief by the administration but they have received nothing so far. Meanwhile, Shahid feels that the government has not thought of the people, which is why compensation seems out of the question.
People of Kashmir are suffering since the past six months, with no assurance being provided to them for a better future. All the people that I had interacted with have given a similar picture, which is filled with agony and pain. There is nothing normal in Kashmir despite a rosy picture being painted to divert the people’s attention.