J&K Students Association urges Rahul Gandhi to raise attacks on Kashmiri traders, students in Parliament

Srinagar, July 30: The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association has written to the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, urging him to raise the plight of Kashmiri students and shawl sellers facing harassment across the country following the Pahalgam attack, as well as the ongoing suffering of residents in border areas affected by cross-border shelling.

In the letter, the Association highlighted the unfolding humanitarian crisis triggered by the Pahalgam terror attack and escalating shelling in Rajouri, Poonch, Kupwara, and Uri, which has caused immense civilian hardship, psychological trauma, and displacement.

Nasir Khuehami, National Convenor of the Association, recalled a detailed 30-minute meeting with Rahul Gandhi in Srinagar after the Pahalgam attack, during which he shared first-hand accounts of targeted violence and the mental toll on Kashmiri students and civilians. He said Gandhi had assured the delegation that these concerns would be raised in Parliament and taken up with the Prime Minister.

According to the Association, despite widespread condemnation of the Pahalgam attack by Kashmiri students, at least 18 incidents of harassment, threats, and physical assault were reported against Kashmiri students and shawl sellers in several states. “Universities have turned into spaces of fear and exclusion,” the letter stated, calling for campus-level safeguards, grievance redressal systems, and mental health support.

The Association also drew attention to the conditions in shelling-hit border areas, where families live in fear and children grow up in bunkers instead of homes. Entire residential areas have been flattened and schools destroyed, with children suffering both physical injuries and long-term psychological trauma.

The letter appreciated Rahul Gandhi’s visits to Poonch and Srinagar and praised his recent decision to adopt 22 children orphaned in cross-border shelling. “His act of adopting these children for their education, safety, and well-being reflects compassion and moral leadership,” Khuehami said, stressing that such efforts go beyond political gestures.

Quoting Gandhi’s earlier remark — “We must fight hate in all its forms. Kashmiris are an integral part of India, and their rights and dignity are non-negotiable” — The Association expressed hope that these sentiments would be reflected in action during the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament.

“This is not a political issue but a humanitarian imperative,” Khuehami said, urging Gandhi to bring the voices of Kashmiri students and civilians to the national stage. “Their pain must no longer remain invisible.”