The central government should provide arms to non-local residents in Jammu and Kashmir so that they can defend themselves from militants, BJP MLA Gyanendra Singh Gyanu said on Tuesday. His remarks came amid a spate of attacks on migrant workers and minorities in the Valley over the past few weeks.
“When terrorism was prevalent in Punjab, people were being given licences to own AK-47 rifles. The same can be done with people in Jammu and Kashmir,” Gyanu said. The Bihar legislator also urged the government to unite the non-local civilians, settle them in a particular area and provide them security and job.
On Sunday, two labourers from Bihar were gunned down when terrorists barged into their accommodation in Kulgam district, taking the number of civilians killed in targeted attacks in Jammu and Kashmir this month to 11. Another labourer sustained bullet injuries.
Gyanu said the militants in the Valley were trying to create an atmosphere of terror by targeting the poor and underprivileged. “Will they dare fight the Border Security Force or our army like that? It is the Pakistani terrorists or those influenced or paid by Pakistan who are killing the people,” he was quoted as saying by ANI.
The killings of civilians have led to many migrant workers making their way back home though many in cities have decided to stay on in the search for work.
Lakhs of labourers from different parts of the country come to the Valley every year in early March for skilled and unskilled jobs such as masonry, carpentry, welding and farming, and go back home before the onset of winter in November. This year, however, several are choosing to go back before they had planned to.
