A group of Kashmiri Pandit employees working in the valley staged a silent sit-in on Thursday to protest the recent terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed the lives of 26 civilians. The employees, who are serving under the Prime Minister’s employment package, gathered to pay tribute to the victims and voice their concerns about their own safety in the region.
"We, the PM package employees, have come from across the valley to pay homage to those who were killed in the Pahalgam attack. We have come here to condemn the killings. We want to say that such killings are not acceptable. We have also come here to seek justice," one of the employees, Amit Koul, told reporters.
He said the situation in the Valley was peaceful over the past few years, but the brutal killings in Pahalgam have disturbed the whole valley.
"We employees are also disturbed. We want to say that if tourists, who were here to enjoy for a few days, are not safe, then how come the minority employees who work here are safe. That is our issue, it is about our safety and security," he added.
The demonstrators said they plan to march to the offices of the deputy commissioner in Srinagar and the divisional commissioner of Kashmir to raise their long-standing concerns regarding personal safety.
"We want to highlight some points which we have regularly brought to the notice of the government. It is our demand as well as our need that security be provided. We ask the government what it has thought about that?" another employee, Vikas Handoo, said.
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