“A Valley Struggling for Peace and Livelihood”

Hello, dear friends! How is everyone doing? I hope you are all well and enjoying your time with your loved ones, no matter where you are. Today, I want to share yet another important thing that bothers us a lot as a part of dependent economies . I hope you find some time to read my post and that you find it enjoyable enough to upvote.

The people living in this beautiful valley have very limited resources for livelihood. It’s not because they don’t want to engage in difficult work to earn money, but because the valley’s topography is quite different from other parts of our country, making it a difficult place to live in. Even with these limited resources, we try to make the most out of them. Here, the major sources of income, or we can say the main elements from which people earn their livelihood, are the tourism and horticulture sectors.

Unfortunately, both these sectors have been badly affected this year. It’s more like a double whammy for Kashmiris who have been struggling hard to earn respect and better means of livelihood over the past few decades. This year actually turned out to be the worst, withering all the progress we had made in these sectors.

Back in April, a terrorist attack occurred in which more than 25 tourists were killed in broad daylight in one of the most beautiful tourist destinations of the valley. It was the deadliest terrorist attack that has ever occurred on this land, and it turned out to be a major blow to the tourism sector of this valley. After this attack, people stopped coming here — and it was obvious, for who would come to a place seeking peace when there is instability itself? It was an unfortunate event for all of us Kashmiris who have been immensely dependent on this sector.

This attack seemed not only intended to harm humanity but also the livelihood of the local population. Anyways, Kashmiris have gone through a lot, and this was yet another challenge we had to endure. The tourism industry was affected very badly.

Although I am not directly involved with this sector, I can share the ordeal of my neighbour who is. He runs a cab and has been in service to tourists for a long time. My neighbour had a costly car financed by a local bank, and through his work, he earned enough not only to support his family but also to pay the bank EMIs. But now, after tourists stopped coming here, his family has been badly affected as he remains at home without any alternate means of livelihood. His problems have worsened as he has become a defaulter at the bank and is unable to make any loan repayments.

From this, I can reckon the hardships that many people living here must be going through at this point in time. Not only are the assets people have acquired — either on loan or through personal savings — depreciating without earning them a penny, but their families are also suffering as they cannot take proper care of their health, education, and other needs.

One more instance is of a hotel owner who had to sell his newly bought luxury car at a huge discount because he couldn’t pay off his debt. To save himself from going into debt head over heels, he had to take this difficult step. All these events have occurred only after the cowardly attack on tourists who were in the valley of Pahalgam, enjoying themselves without harming anyone.

Being a Kashmiri, I strongly feel that no local could ever be involved in such a heinous crime. Knowing the nature of our local population, we have always been known for hospitality, humility, and service to humanity. On that particular day of the attack, I still remember the horror that gripped the whole valley and the sadness that reflected on everyone’s face. We all condemned the attack and still demand strict punishment for the culprits. We cannot see such things happening in our valley. We cannot see people being killed. But I don’t understand why we, the people of this land, are suffering and have to pay the price for actions we were never a part of and would never support.

Now, as the year is drawing to an end, only a fraction of the tourists who used to visit here have started returning to the valley, but their number is not sufficient for the local people to earn their livelihood from.

I request people all across the world, and more particularly my fellow citizens of India, to visit this valley during the beautiful winter season. Our valley not only presents beauty in summers but becomes even more enchanting in winters. This place offers a special and affordable alternative to enjoy the wonders of nature at a much lower cost compared to traveling abroad. Please come here, enjoy your time, and bring happiness back to this valley. We are not only concerned about money; every tourist’s presence here is a sign of peace and tranquility — and we all long to see that return.

Thank you for going through my post. Have a great time ahead.