Kashmiri Pandit employees face fresh threat after wednesday’s Srinagar protest

A fresh threat issued by a terrorist organisation after Wednesday’s protest in Srinagar has renewed concerns over the safety of Kashmiri Pandit employees working in the Kashmir Valley under the Prime Minister’s employment package.

The latest threat reportedly includes photographs of Kashmiri Panditcommunity members who participated in Wednesday’s protest at Lal Chowk, where the employees had gathered to demand their immediate relocation to designated Zewan accommodation in Srinagar.

The employees have been seeking the shift for years, citing growing security concerns and a series of threats received by members of the community. The latest development has added urgency to their demand for relocation to secure accommodation.

“We are tired of these threat letters. There is a lot of fear among us and our families. Our children are just 5 to 10 years old, and we cannot even allow them to go outside. They are confined to their rooms. It feels like we are living in a jail. The most important thing now is to shift us to these quarters, where at least we will feel safer and know who is coming in and going out. Government officials visited today and assured us that they will expedite the process. They told us that 26 buildings are ready for occupation, so we have asked them why possession cannot be given immediately. There are very few workers at the site, and we want the government to fast-track the remaining work. Our families are under tremendous stress. Even our children are suffering. We just want a safe place where we can live peacefully,” said Vishal, A Kashmiri Pandit Employee.

The government has now stepped in and visited the Zewan accommodation facility along with members of the Kashmiri Pandit community to discuss the arrangements for handing over the flats and shifting the employees.

According to community members, the government has assured them that the relocation process will be expedited and that employees will be shifted to the facility soon.

The Zewan complex comprises around 39 buildings with a total of 936 flats, which have already been allotted to employees appointed under the PM employment package. Authorities say most of the civil work has been completed, with lifts yet to be installed in 12 buildings being the major pending work.

“There is immense mental stress among Kashmiri Pandits. We are receiving threats repeatedly, and we can no longer take them lightly. Our demand is genuine—we were promised safe accommodation when the PM package was announced, but we have been living in rented accommodations since 2010. The buildings at 7 are ready. Officials told us today that 26 to 27 buildings are complete, so why can’t the people be shifted into those flats immediately? We are under tremendous fear and pressure. We are not even able to leave our homes or eat properly. This is a pattern, and we don’t know when something might happen. That is why we are asking the government to shift us to these secure locations immediately. We have come to the media because we want our message to reach those responsible and urge them to hand over these flats to us without any further delay.” said Amit, a Kashmiri Pandit Employee.

The demand for relocation has become more urgent over the past two months, during which the Kashmiri Pandit community has reportedly received around half a dozen threats. One of the earlier threat letters named six members of the community and warned that they were on the target list of terrorist organisations.

Wednesday’s protest was held in the heart of Srinagar, with employees demanding that the government move them to the designated accommodation without further delay. The fresh threat issued after the protest, and the circulation of photographs of some of the protesters, have further heightened security concerns.

“There is a sense of fear and anxiety across the entire community. We have been receiving threats since the 1990s, and now that fear has resurfaced. We don’t know where these threats are coming from, and we feel the government has not been able to stop them. Our only demand is that we be shifted to the safe accommodation built for us as soon as possible. We just want to live peacefully in a secure environment. Officials have assured us that the civil work is complete, with only lift installation pending in 13 buildings. We hope the government will now expedite the process and shift us without further delay,” said Ashu, a Kashmiri Pandit Employee.

The community is now asking the government to fast-track the remaining work at the Zewan facility and complete the relocation process at the earliest. The employees say the designated accommodation is located within a security-protected complex and would provide them with a safer living environment.