Wasim Rafiqi |
As a banker I feel that the continued spell of violence in Kashmir is taking a very heavy toll on the financial and entrepreneurial sector. The lack of political will to resolve this decades-old issue has led to a renewed spell of violence. Sadly it has resulted in huge losses for many businesses and start-ups. J & K Bank, being the economic backbone of the state, has a direct relation with the market conditions in the state. Directly and indirectly the lack of ‘normality’ has had an impact on the growth of the bank also. This has resulted in an uncertain work atmosphere — one that often raises safety and security concerns for us. Last year during the height of protests several bankers as well as other employees got caught up in violence while commuting to their respective work places. Often enough the staff finds itself in a Catch-22 situation. While the government communiques make it essential for public sector and bank employees to report to duty, unprecedented street violence makes it next to impossible for many to report to work. Reports of widespread attacks and protests often result in an atmosphere of fear and panic which impacts the psyche of people. Bankers are no exception to this. Statewide strikes and curfews that continue for weeks altogether often lead to shortage of cash in our bank ATMs. Despite this, we make sure that most of our cash points remain in service. What is more, there have been several instances of looting and arson of J & K bank branches in recent years. No such case of loot has been solved till date, leading to further concern. Overall the fundamentals of the banking sector are robust in Kashmir but for a healthy banking atmosphere to sustain, stability and peace must prevail. Sadly that commodity is in short supply in the valley. With no political dialogue in sight, there is speculation that we are rushing headlong into another uncertain summer.
Wasim Rafiqi
Banker, J & K Bank, Anantnag
Javid Parsa |
Like most of the businessmen in Kashmir the current turmoil in the valley affects my business too. As a young restaurateur it worries me a great deal but at the same time what pains me the most is the fact that innocent lives are lost on an almost daily basis. When I decided to leave a lucrative job at Amazon to start my own enterprise and serve my own people back home, I believed in empowerment of youth and their economic independence, but frequent incidents of violence and continuous internet blockades create hurdles in making that possible. Personally I choose to tell inspiring stories through social media and by clicking selfies with people from different walks of life. All along I constantly endeavoured to inspire youth to become employers rather than depend on government jobs in the valley. However frequent internet bans create obstacles that are hard to deal with. Sometimes it gets really difficult to sustain your business but what inspires me to go on is the hope that a better tomorrow awaits us! If you ask me how I feel about the monetary loss faced in these hard times, I will pause and think for a while about those of us who lost their lives during violence. While it is true that Kashmir may not offer the most conducive of business environments as recurring violence, strikes and curfews have become a norm, we must not lose sight of the fact that it is in circumstances such as these that true entrepreneurs are born. One learns to adapt and make the most of a given situation, no matter how tough it is. For those reasons only it never feels like a loss to me. In my view a meaningful solution to the political problem in the valley is the only way out. People of my generation and those younger to me want to see a prosperous Kashmir.
Javid Parsa
Director, Parsa Foods and Beverages, Srinagar
Aabid Malik |
I am a student of one of Srinagar’s premier educational institutions: Amar Singh College. It is a college that is more than a century old but sadly our educational life has been severely blighted due to various phases of uprising and violence during the last few years. Whatever happens outside the college — in terms of injuries, killings, arrests — has a direct impact on how we get shaped as students inside the hallowed portals of our colleges and universities. Our classes get regularly cancelled, our semesters almost washed out, our exams cancelled or postponed at the last minute, our results mostly delayed. My entire generation, especially those of us from non-privileged backgrounds (who often get caught between lofty ideals and harsh realities of securing livelihood) continues to suffer. Consequently one finds himself between a rock and a hard place. Even when I will finish my degree and get results, I may have missed the tight deadlines for entrance and admissions in universities in India or overseas. I cannot even give a clear answer to a simple question — when do you expect your results to be out? Many young Kashmiris like me have to compete with millions of students for further studies or professions and yet we are at a severe disadvantage because we have to endure patchy studies, exams for which we are not fully prepared, and a reputation for being under-educated. We try to compensate for the loss of classes by learning through internet. These days even the internet gets unplugged in the valley from time to time. Imagine a student preparing his project with no access to web. This has happened to me a few times, leaving me dejected and flustered. It happens to my peers all the time. I fear I may become part of the ‘lost generation’ that cannot fulfil its aspirations because the vicious cycle of violence simply refuses to abate.
Aabid Malik
Student, Amar Singh College, Srinagar
Dr Yasir Wani |
Last year was the most difficult time for me as a doctor and administrator of my hospital at Sub District Hospital Kremshore, Budgam. We had to run our hospital ambulance to fetch employees from their residences. This was a huge risk for my ambulance drivers and staff and many a times they got injured while getting caught up between the stone pelting youth and the armed forces. To pick up the staff in the morning and drop them back in such warlike situation was a daunting task. Our ambulances got damaged many a times and my staff had narrow escapes but that didn’t deter us from doing our duty. Back in the hospital treating all the injured people with limited resources was an even bigger challenge. We attended to hundreds of injured by doing triage and deciding who needed more attention, who needed first-aid and who needed to be referred to the bigger hospitals in the city. The huge rush of accompanying attendants made it hard for us to do our job properly. We treated young boys with pellet, bullet, tear gas shell injuries and more recently PAVA shell wounds. On the other hand we treated injured security forces too. As human beings and doctors it was our duty and responsibility to look after any injured patient irrespective of their political persuasions. Many a times we had to stay at our hospital for days at a stretch because the conditions were not conducive to leave the hospital either due to constant influx of the injured or ensuing violence en route to home. Recently a pitched battle between stone pelting youth and armed forces was going on right in front of my hospital. As I was trying to keep my staff alert for any eventuality, a police officer approached us and said, “Only two set of professionals works 24 x 7 here, come rain or sunshine: doctors and cops.”
Dr Yasir Wani
Consultant Pediatrician and neonatologist, Budgam, Kashmir
