Kashmiri Pandits’ security stepped up after ‘threat letter’ from Lashkar arm

IGP
Kashmi
VK
Bi di
said
the
police
we e
p obi g
the
th eat
lette ,
believed
to
have
bee
eleased
o
social
media
o
Aug
7.

SRINAGAR:
J&K
police
have
tighte ed
secu ity
i
a eas
of
the
Valley
whe e
Kashmi i
Pa dits
live
a d
allowed
some
employees
to
wo k
f om
home
tempo a ily
afte
Pa u
Kashmi
claimed
a
pu po ted
th eat
lette
f om
Lashka
affiliate
U ited
Libe atio
Cou cil
ami g
seve al
commu ity
membe s
a d
listi g
thei
pho e
umbe s.“Autho ities
must
i vestigate
the
sou ce
of
the
i fo matio ,
the
digital
t ail
behi d
the
commu icatio
a d
whethe
a y
su veilla ce,
p ofili g
o
eco aissa ce
of
the
ta geted
pe so s
has
take
place,”
Ag isheka ,
co ve o
of
Pa u
Kashmi
said,
addi g
it
was
impo ta t
to
establish
whethe
the
“pe pet ato s
actually
possessed
the
i fo matio
o
we e
usi g
it
as
a
fo m
of
psychological
wa fa e”.IGP
Kashmi
VK
Bi di
said
the
police
we e
p obi g
the
th eat
lette ,
believed
to
have
bee
eleased
o
social
media
o
Aug
7.
Divisio al
commissio e
A shul
Ga g
said
some
Pa dits
had
bee
allowed
to
wo k
f om
home,
but
the e
was
o
bla ket
o de .
Educatio
officials
said
the
depa tme t
had
ot
issued
a y
such
wo k-f om-home
o de
fo
all
Pa dit
staff.Acco di g
to
Pa u
Kashmi ’s
Ag isheka ,
“the
lette
ep ese ted
a
se ious
escalatio
as
it
we t
beyo d
ge e ic
th eats
a d
appea ed
to
ide tify
i dividuals
as
pote tial
ta gets
while
claimi g
access
to
i fo matio
about
thei
families,
locatio s
a d
places
of
wo k”.

“The
publicatio
of
ames
a d
pe so al
co tact
details,
accompa ied
by
explicit
th eats
to
pu sue
the
i dividuals
a d
thei
families,
is
a
matte
of
g ave
co ce .
This
is
ot
somethi g
that
ca
be
dismissed
as
me e
heto ic.
It
has
the
u mistakable
pote tial
to
i timidate
the
ta geted
i dividuals
a d
te o ise
the
wide
Kashmi i
Pa dit
commu ity,”
Ag isheka
said.The
th eat
was
pa ticula ly
distu bi g
i
view
of
the
commu ity’s
histo y
of
bei g
victims
of
ta geted
killi gs,
i timidatio
a d
fo ced
displaceme t
f om
Kashmi ,
Ag isheka
poi ted
out.
Jammu-based
Pa u
Kashmi
seeks
a
sepa ate
homela d
fo
Pa dits
i
the
Valley
with
U io
te ito y
status.Kashmi i
Pa dit
Sa ga sh
Samiti,
a othe
commu ity
g oup
ep ese ti g
those
who
stayed
back
i
the
Valley
afte
1990s’
mig atio ,
called
the
ew
th eat
a
co spi acy
to
sabotage
thei
existe ce.
“Rece t
te o
attacks
i
south
Kashmi ,
followed
by
f esh
th eat
poste s
ami g
Kashmi i
Pa dit
employees,
have
o ce
agai
exposed
the
chilli g
se se
of
vul e ability,”
KPSS
said.

I
2008,
the
Ma moha
Si gh-led
UPA
govt
i t oduced
a
ehabilitatio
package
fo
the
Pa dits
who
had
to
leave
the
Valley
i
the
1990s
i
the
face
of
te o .
Amo g
othe
measu es,
the
package
p ovided
6,000
govt
jobs
a d
c eated
ew
posts.
Such
people
a e
posted
i
va ious
depa tme ts
ac oss
Kashmi
a d
a e
called
“PM
package
employees”.