A Lashkar-e-Taiba-linked militant outfit has allegedly issued another threat targeting Kashmiri Pandits in Jammu and Kashmir. The United Liberation Council (ULC) has reportedly issued its sixth letter in a month, this time specifically targeting Kashmiri Pandit employees working under the Prime Minister’s employment package.
According to the reported letter, the group claims to have obtained personal details of these employees, including their phone numbers, addresses and vehicle information. It allegedly threatens to send the bodies of non-local employees back to their families.
Following the threat, the All PM Package Employees Association has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir for an investigation into the matter and enhanced security for employees.
Posters and letters attributed to the ULC have reportedly surfaced on social media and walls in some areas.
The threats have also affected the daily lives of employees. Several have reportedly stopped attending offices, while some have returned to Jammu.
The picture is of Sheikhpura camp, where more than 300 families live.
‘Transit camps feel like prisons’
Sheikhpura, around 3 km from the Budgam district headquarters, is one of the major settlements of Kashmiri Pandit families in Jammu and Kashmir. Around 330 families reportedly live in the colony, which is surrounded by walls about 12 feet high.
Residents say security restrictions have increased significantly over the past month. They now have to provide details to the Jammu and Kashmir Police and CRPF personnel stationed at the colony’s entrance before entering or leaving.
Residents also say they are required to carry identity cards around their necks and have been instructed by security personnel to return to the colony by 4 pm. When a media team attempted to enter the colony, security forces reportedly denied entry.
Around 6,000 Kashmiri Pandits covered under PM package
Under the 2008 Prime Minister’s employment package for Jammu and Kashmir, around 6,000 Kashmiri Pandits were provided government jobs and accommodation. Many of them now live with their families in designated settlements, including Sheikhpura, Vessu in Kulgam, Baramulla and Kupwara.
These colonies operate under round-the-clock security. Vessu reportedly has the largest number of families, with around 426 families residing there.
Families describe life under heightened security
Several Kashmiri Pandit families living in Sheikhpura described the impact of the latest threats.
One family, speaking on condition of anonymity, said residents now have to inform security personnel even before leaving the colony for routine tasks such as visiting a doctor or purchasing groceries. The family said employees are trying to avoid going to their offices, while parents remain worried about their children’s safety after sending them to school.
An office-bearer of the Kashmiri Pandit Sangharsh Samiti questioned how militants could allegedly obtain employee information so quickly after it was collected by a government department. The group has demanded an investigation into the possible leak of sensitive employee data.
Another family said residents feel relatively secure inside the colony because police personnel remain deployed around the clock. According to the family, additional security posts have also been established outside the boundary walls.
However, school buses are reportedly no longer entering the colony. Parents have to drop off and collect their children at the main gate.
The latest threats have raised fresh concerns among Kashmiri Pandit employees over their safety, the security of transit colonies and the alleged access of militant groups to sensitive personal information.
