Srinagar, Aug 06: For over three decades, two families from Villgam in north Kashmir’s Handwara have lived with grief, poverty, and the painful feeling that their pleas for justice went unheard. Now, with the recent job appointment orders announced by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha for victims of terrorism, they say their long wait for recognition and relief has finally come to an end.
Aijaz Ahmad Bhat of Villgam still vividly remembers the tragedy his family faced on Eid day in 2001. His elder sister, a Special Police Officer (SPO) and the sole breadwinner, was brutally killed by terrorists inside their home. “I was just 18 months old when it happened,” he told Rising Kashmir.
“Whenever my parents recall that day, it feels like the pain is still fresh. For years, we knocked on every political door for help. We visited countless offices, submitted applications, and followed up on files. Nothing happened. The promises would fade as soon as we left the room,” Aijaz recalled.
He shared how once officials even took his measurements for a uniform and assured him a job. “I thought our struggle had ended, but after that day, there was only silence. The promise vanished, and it shattered me completely. It felt like someone had pulled the ground from under my feet.”
Without his sister’s support, the family slipped into deep financial hardship. Survival meant taking odd jobs and relying on relatives. “We felt abandoned,” Aijaz said, “as if the system had forgotten us. This job announcement is not just employment; it is dignity restored. It is like we finally got justice.”
For Tahir Ahmad Dar, also from Villgam, tragedy struck even earlier. In 1999, while he was still a schoolboy, terrorists abducted and killed his father. The loss shattered his family emotionally and financially.
“My father was everything to us,” Tahir recalled. “After he was killed, I managed to finish my 10th class, but then I had to stop my studies. There was no money to continue. I had to take daily labour to keep the family going. We lived with the pain and the feeling that no one cared.”
Both men described the years of relentless efforts—visiting local leaders, district offices, and government departments; filling forms and submitting documents; clinging to hope.
“But hope fades when years turn into decades without a single result. Many times we felt it was pointless to try again,” Tahir said.
The Lieutenant Governor’s recent announcement of government jobs for the families of terror victims has changed their fortunes. This scheme, designed to offer relief and rehabilitation to those who lost loved ones in terrorism-related violence, has been widely welcomed across Jammu and Kashmir.
“This is not just about money,” Aijaz emphasized. “It’s about being seen, being acknowledged. For so long, we felt invisible.”
Tahir echoed the sentiment: “We will never forget our loss, but this step by the government shows that our sacrifices are not forgotten. We are grateful.”
For these two families of Villgam, the appointment letters handed over at SKICC Srinagar marked the end of a decades-long struggle.
As Aijaz summed up, “We can finally stop running from office to office. Our fight is over.”
