Srinagar, Sept 9 (NVI) Surfacing of posters containing threats to them has caused renewed anxiety and fear among the Kashmiri Pandits working in government departments in the Valley.
The posters contain threatening messages of an unknown outfit United Liberation Council (ULC), believed to be a frontal organisation of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror outfit.
These posters have threatened Kashmiri Pandit employees, recruited under the Prime Minister’s Special Rehabilitation Package since Mannmohan Singh’s tenure in 2010, to quit their jobs or face fatal consequences.
The posters even contain personal information, including phone numbers, addresses and vehicle registration details of the employees.
For a community that experienced targeted killings, intimidation and an exodus from the Valley in the 1990s, the fresh threats along with names, addresses and other personal details have caused anxiety and fear among them.
Meanwhile, Kashmiri Pandit employees appointed under the Package staged a peaceful demonstration on Wednesday in Srinagar, urging the government to expedite the allotment of transit accommodation and provide a permanent, dignified housing solution for them in the Valley.
They announced September 30 as the deadline for the administration to resolve the issue, warning that failure to do so would trigger an indefinite sit‑in and hunger strike.
The protesters said they have spent years waiting for government-built accommodation and continue to live in rented houses, often in insecure neighbourhoods.
Their demand is rooted in the government’s long‑promised plan to construct 6,000 transit flats for migrant employees.
At a review meeting in March, officials reported that 4,128 units had been completed, while the remaining 1,872 were under phased construction, with the final 456 scheduled for completion by September.
The employees argue that even the completed units have not been allotted swiftly, leaving them in limbo.
The protest also reflects a deeper anxiety that has been building for weeks.
The language in the posters has been chilling, branding the employees “white‑collar terrorists” and warning, “Wherever you are and wherever you go, we are watching your every move… calamity strikes when it must.”
It added, “All those Pandits who migrated from the Valley are hypocrites and traitors. They are targeted not because of their religion but because of their traitorous actions and conduct.”
Officials noted that such granular personal data has rarely appeared in militant communications in recent decades, raising concerns about possible leaks or unauthorised access to government records.
This was the second such communication in less than three weeks. Earlier in August, another poster had similarly named six employees.
The threats come against the backdrop of two terror attacks in Kashmir since June 22.
The terrorists first killed a constable Ashiq Hussain Qureshi in Anantnag district on June 22 and then on July 31, two non-local labourers were gunned down in Kulgam district.
Minority communities, particularly Kashmiri Pandit employees, fear becoming soft targets once again.
The All PM Package Employees Forum wrote to the Chief Secretary on August 24 seeking immediate enhancement of security at workplaces, residential clusters, and transit routes.
The Kashmiri Pandit Sangarsh Samiti described the publication of confidential data as a “chilling vulnerability,” asking whether the leak reflected a security lapse or deliberate sabotage.
Panun Kashmir urged the Lieutenant Governor to order a comprehensive threat assessment for employees and their families.
These developments evoke memories of 2022, when targeted killings of Kashmiri Pandit employees triggered mass protests demanding relocation outside the Valley.
The government refused relocation, instead moving employees to fortified clusters.
Many of the Pandit employees live in guarded colonies, yet the renewed threats and delays in housing allotment have reignited fears and frustration. (NVI)
