Jammu Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) President Altaf Bukhari on Saturday demanded immediate evacuation of J&K residents including students and labourers stranded within and outside the country.
In a statement, Bukhari urged the government of India totake urgent measures to ensure availability of food, shelter and medicines tothese stranded J&K residents, who were stuck amid COVID-19 lockdown.
“The unprecedented lockdown necessitated by COVID-19outbreak has rendered thousands of J&K residents stranded away from theirhomes. I appeal the Union government to take concrete measures for their safeevacuation and till then make all arrangements through the respective stategovernments for their shelter and sustenance,” Bukhari said.
He said hundreds of students, traders especially dealingwith handicrafts and labourers from J&K were stranded in different parts ofthe country and they have sent distress calls to their families.
“Most of these stranded students and labourers are facingimmense difficulties including running short of money due to country widelockdown. The central government must take concrete measures to address theirwoes,” Bukhari said.
He said some students, labourers and traders have returnedto Jammu after hectic efforts but were not being allowed to move towardsKashmir at Lakhanpur toll post.
“The J&K government should facilitate their safe returnand screening so that they remain with their families in these hard times. Tillthen they should be provided with food and shelter on priority basis,” he said.
Bukhari remarked if the evacuation of the stranded residentsfrom rest of the country and outside India was not possible at the moment, thebare minimum government of India could do was to reach out to them with help ofrespective state governments and embassies in different parts of the world.
“The J&K government should also ask its administrationto prepare a database of those stranded within and outside J&K and take up thematter with the respective state governments so that food, shelter, medicinesand other necessary items could be provided to them in these pressingcircumstances,” Bukhari said. “Similarly, the government should reach out tothe J&K residents stuck in different countries like UK, Bangladesh,Pakistan, Bahrain, Iran and Qatar and are not in a position to return to theircountry in view of the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.