Chennai: The Centre doing away with Article 370 was virtually a bolt from the blue for natives of Jammu and Kashmir living here for decades, whose emotions ranged from hope to despair over it.
While some opined they could not guess about the long-term outcome, others hoped the move would help the people of the state. Ashraf, an employee with a fashion jewellery store here said it was “simply an illegal act done without thinking about the welfare of the Kashmiris.”
He wondered how the government could bring about such a “radical” change without consulting the people of the state and eliciting their views. “Ultimately, it is going to affect the common people. Is it not important to have a word with us,..?” he asked.
A native of Kashmir, who settled here in 1998, Ashraf told PTI that they were not sure of their future, now that the Centre has abrogated Article 370. The man, in in his late 40s, demanded that the government restore the revoked Constitutional provision to bring peace and stability to the region.
Umar, his colleague and hailing from Srinagar, who came to Chennai a decade ago, expressed concern over not being able to communicate with his family. “There is no way to have a word with them. I had planned to go home for Eid along with some friends from Chennai. I had to give up that idea,” he said in fluent Tamil.
He also echoed the views of Ashraf on the scrapping of the Constitutional provision that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir. “For several decades, common people were hit by unresolved Kashmiri issues and now this one will be a brand new addition,” he said.
Umar alleged that the Centre was unsympathetic towards them as it had snatched away business opportunities for his kin back home by moving in thousands of troops into Kashmir. Thousands of tourists and Amarnath yatris were turned away and “now people on TV say that the Army troops will continue to stay put in the valley…in such a situation, where will be the business for our people,?” he asked.
Ahmad Rafique, who owns a handicraft and handloom store said the Centre’s move has come at a time when people were sick and tired of the absence of peace for decades. “There may be a variety of reasons for peace eluding Kashmir, but these are mostly beyond a common man’s control,” he said.
On Article 370, he said he moved out of the valley in the early 1990’s when terrorism peaked and was not sure if this (abrogation) was “good or bad” or how things would pan out in the coming weeks and months. “I can only pray for my brethren. God should bestow them with peace and put an end to all their problems,” he said.
Harminder, hailing from Jammu and working for a firm dealing in motor spare parts, said despite the protection of Article 370 and other kinds of help from the Central government, there was no peace and development in Jammu and Kashmir for decades.
“This government has done something new. Let us hope it does good to the people, bring new business opportunities and unending streams of tourists,” he said. Several others hailing from Jammu and Kashmir, including a man who runs a store at downtown Nungambakkam, declined to comment, saying the issue was too “sensitive and we are here only to live a peaceful life.”
There are an estimated 3,000 to 3,500 people hailing from Jammu and Kashmir living in Tamilnadu.