Kashmiri Shawl Sellers Face Dilemma Between Safety and Livelihood in India

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A surge in attacks has prompted many Kashmiris to return home. Others are developing strategies for survival.

Ayaz Ahmad, 28, operates a mobile business selling handicraft items in Hisar, Haryana state. He joins a WhatsApp group with nearly two dozen members to share information on safe areas to visit and avoid harassment. “We guide each other on where to go and where to avoid,” Ahmad said. The group was formed after a Hindu shopkeeper attacked Tabish Ahmad Ganie, an 18-year-old shawl seller, in Uttarakhand state.

Ganie suffered injuries, including 12 stitches on his head and fractures in his leg. He attributed the attack to his identity as a Kashmiri Muslim, saying “Not for anything I had done, but simply because of my identity.”

A similar incident occurred when Bilal Ahmad was attacked by a Hindu group in Uttarakhand’s Kashipur district after refusing to chant a nationalist slogan. His family urged him to return to Kashmir due to the increasing attacks on Kashmiris.

Many Kashmiris face unemployment and limited job opportunities, leading them to seek livelihoods elsewhere. However, returning to their homeland can be challenging for some.

In recent weeks, there have been reports of hate attacks against Kashmiri traders and migrant workers in various parts of India. The incidents are often accompanied by rhetoric on social media and public speeches that depict Kashmiris as “security threats” or “Pakistani agents.”

Source: Al Jazeera