Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) is suffering from neglect by the government and not communal disharmony, according to Aasha Bhat, the first Kashmiri Pandit, the sarpanch of a predominantly Muslim village.
Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) is suffering from neglect by the government and not communal disharmony, according to Aasha Bhat, the first Kashmiri Pandit who was recently elected sarpanch of a predominantly Muslim village in that state.
Bhat (46), who was felicitated by the city-based non-governmental organisation (NGO), Sarhad, on Saturday, said unemployment and lack of initiatives by the government for development were the reasons for the poor condition of the state.
Bhat was elected sarpanch of Wussan Bangil village of Baramulla district. Mayor of Pune, Mohansingh Rajpal and additional director general of police, state criminal investigation department (CID), Pune, Ashok Dhiware attended the felicitation function as chief guests.
Bhat said poverty exists in most parts of J&K. “There are households that are not able to get two square meals a day. Unemployment is the main problem,” she said.
According to Bhat, lack of hospitals and schools still exist in many regions of the state. “The government should take initiative to build factories. This will help in eradicating unemployment, which is the main reason for the backwardness of the state.” Aasha was accompanied by her son, Ashok Kumar.
Ashok Kumar told DNA that Wussan Bangil has a population of over 2,000 out of which only five families are Hindus. “My mother winning the polls in a zone like this proves that communal harmony exists in the state,” he said.
Founder-president, Sarhad, Sanjay Nahar told DNA, “This is an initiative taken by our organisation under the Pune for Kashmir Project. Sarhad, through this event, aims at sending a message of communal harmony.”
Rajpal donated Rs1 lakh on behalf of the Pune Municipal Corporation to Bhat in order to initiate development activities in her village.
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