Stakeholders to highlight concerns of poor and transporters, seek delinking education from protests
With all eyes on Tuesday’s meeting called by the unified separatist leaders, who have invited various stakeholders to provide suggestions on the future course of action, civil society members, traders and educationists Monday said there was a need to put the concerns of the financially-backward class to rest besides delinking education from the ongoing uprising.
Talking to Kashmir Post, Kashmir Centre for Social and Development Studies (KCSDS) Chairperson, Prof. Hameeda Nayeem said her organisation would put forth the concerns of the people across social strata particularly of the financially-backward class of the society and urge the leadership to devise calendars so that everyone could be taken along.
Private Schools Association President, Ghulam Nabi Var said his association would suggest delinking of schools from the current uprising.
Var said they would ask the leadership to devise a mechanism under which relaxation could be provided to educational institutions like other sectors and if education would be de-linked only then could protest programmes be prolonged.
The transporters would suggest relaxation in shutdown from 2 pm so that they too could operate if the leadership wanted to continue shutdowns.
Kashmir Welfare Transporters Association (KWTA) General Secretary, Sheikh Muhammad Yousuf the transporters had already offered a lot of sacrifices and if the stakeholder would reach at a consensus of extending the shutdowns, they would like to have relaxation in shutdown from 2 pm so that the transporters too would benefit.
Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) President, Mushtaq Wani said they were going to listen to what the Hurriyat leaders had to say.
Kashmir Economic Alliance (KEA) Chairman, Muhammad Yasin Khan said the traders are with the Hurriyat programme and it was too early to say what would happen in the meeting.
One of the representatives from travel and hospitality sector, who is attending the meeting, said there can’t be peace until killings, arrests and harassment by the forces stop.
“There has to be a complete strike till government show some responsibility. Killings and arrests of youth should immediately stop. Youth, who have been recently booked, should be released,” said the tourism player.
He said they have already lost business for the year and also winter months of 2017.
“There will be almost no booking till next summer. Tourists won’t visit Kashmir till complete peace prevails here. When killings and arrests continue, we can’t expect peace. It would only bring losses to tourism sector,” he said.
He said the relaxation time in shutdown given by separatist leadership only encourages oppressors.
“Those who are seeking relaxation should also think of those who are being killed and arrested on daily basis.”
