PDP president Mehbooba Mufti urges Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to ensure that non-local labourers are not moving out of the Valley
The Jammu and Kashmir Police, on Tuesday, dismissed social media rumours suggesting that non-local workers were being asked to leave the Valley after the deadly attack at a construction site in Ganderbal in which seven local and non-local employees of a company, including a local doctor, were killed on October 20.
The deceased were engaged in the construction of a strategic Z-Morh tunnel near Gagangeer, designed to improve connectivity between Kashmir and Ladakh. The incident has raised concerns about the safety of workers, particularly non-locals, employed in such high-profile projects in conflict-prone areas.
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In a post on X, the Kashmir Zone Police, quoting IGP Kashmir, clarified that the reports that administration pressuring non-local workers to leave were false.
"The Jammu and Kashmir Police is committed to ensuring the security and fostering a safe environment for all individuals to pursue their livelihoods without fear or intimidation," the police statement read. They also urged the public not to believe false information circulating on social media platforms.
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, reacting to the situation, called on Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to prevent an exodus of non-local labourers from the region. "After the barbaric attack at Sonamarg, there are reports that the local administration is pressuring non-local labourers to leave the Valley immediately. While I understand their obvious sense of panic, asking them to leave in this manner is not a solution," she tweeted.
Mufti said asking non-locals to leave would send a negative message to the rest of the country and create further challenges for the region. "J&K recently witnessed peaceful, terror-free elections, and this knee-jerk reaction will only prove otherwise," she added.
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She also raised concerns that such actions could lead to retaliatory outrage against Kashmiris working or studying in other parts of India.
"This might also cause outrage against Kashmiris working and studying in other states," she said, requesting both the chief minister and the LG to intervene and ensure the workers are given enough time and reassurance.
The seven victims included Dr Shahnawaz Ahmad Dar from Budgam in central Kashmir and labourers from Bihar, Punjab, and Madhya Pradesh.
The security forces have since launched an extensive operation to hunt down the militants involved, deploying drones, sniffer dogs, and additional resources to comb the surrounding forests.