Thousands of stranded Kashmiri labourers facing starvation in India

ISLAMABAD: Amid a strict lockdown over the coronavirus pandemic, an estimated 40,000 labourers from Indian-occupied Kashmir are stranded in various states of India without any food or money.

According to the Kashmir Media service, Ajaz Ahmed Wani of Kupwara district, who works in a hotel in Himachal Pradesh, told Srinagar-based reporters over the phone that he had not eaten for the past four days. “I have no money to buy food,” he said. “Around 30 people from Kupwara district are stuck here.”

Another Kashmiri labourer, Shafi Haji of district Islamabad, is stuck in Maharashtra with five other Kashmiris. “The five of us are cramped in a single room. Our pockets are running empty. Whatever we had earned has been spent on food and room rent,” Haji said.

Many Kashmiris who are working in various companies across India have requested to be taken home. “We are ready to go to the quarantine centres in Kashmir. We are scared here,” said Aaqib Mushtaq of Nishat, Srinagar, who works for a travel company at Noida.

Like Mushtaq, 300 others are also stuck in different states including Kolkata, Goa, Kerala, and Delhi. “I am worried about the safety of my brother who is alone in Maharashtra without any food and money,” said Yusuf Ahmed, whose younger brother is stranded in Maharashtra.

Indian Labour Commission official Abdul Rasheed War said there are around 30,000 to 40,000 labourers from occupied Kashmir in various states of India. “Every day we receive calls from labourers stuck in various states,” he said. “They complain about the shortage of food and money. We have contacted the concerned authorities for providing immediate help to our people.”