I fear an unprecedented brain drain

Tasaduq Maqbool
Kashmir once called “Paradise On Earth” has witnessed mass genocides , bloodshed and brutality for decade now. It has been coons age since we last met happiness here. The dwellers of Kashmir have suffered ( and presently are suffering) a jumbo loss of both lives and property . It is a pity that kashmiris are feeling insecure here but for visitors it is stable and reliable place to visit (as per the latest survey). Kashmiris scarcely can breathe a peaceful breath .The situations are subtle and unpredictable. Catastrophes here come without an alarm.
Every new day here breaks records by causing an unprecedented suffering to the people of Kashmir , not to mention its impact on the physical and mental health status of the people living here . Above all , it seems pertinent to mention that these situations demote the economy of kashmir valley .The people here are becoming poorer day by day because of the unending oppression . Let me come clean my angst upsurged right from 5th August 2019 ,when the govt of India revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the state into two union territories .It was a baffling and heart-rending news for almost every inhabitant of Kashmir. Kashmir has been suffering from brain drain for a long time.Unemployment has besieged the Kashmiris like ravenous wolf besieges the prey. It has affected the people of all age groups in one or the other way. Unemployment has become the burning question of the day. It has a detrimental effect on the whole family. Unemployment is one prime cause of late marriages in Kashmir. It pushes youth towards drug addiction and other evil practices. After the Abrogation of the special status, a dramatic surge has been witnessed in the unemployment rate. Due to the non availability of jobs the youth (so called future of the nation) have became frustrated. They seldom find a glipse of happiness and hence they get the blues and loss interest in life. The anxiety, stress and allied mental health issues have proliferated in Kashmir. I fear Freakish brain drain in impending years. Let me validate my claim. Abrogation of 370 and 35A is a setback to unemployed youth of kashmir because now they have to enter the cutthroat competitions to compete with candidates from all over india. Now most of the educated and qualified youth may not be able to earn livelihood within the margins of their motherland because hundreds and thousands of competitors shall compete for one post.
Instead of designing fecund job policies, kashmiri young men are propelled towards unending woe. How can they maintain the affinity to reside in their motherland? Our crafty politicians need to ponder over it and fathom the agony and sufferings of kashmiris and de what they promise in election manifesto!
Kashmir now called a “typical battlefield” has witnessed mass genocides which create a saturnine environment here. Almost every day the air gets charged with fear, anxiety and shooting pain. The saturnine environment encountered here is motivating hundreds of qualified men and women to leave Kashmir and settle in a secure and comparatively peaceful place. The gloomy faces, the fear in the hearts of people are the repercussions of unending oppression in Kashmir. It will motivate youth bid goodbye to Kashmir for sure. Lack of job security and job satisfaction which is rampant in kashmir demotivates the youth to discharge services here. As a general rule, nobody wants chaos and uncertainty. Every one of us strives to bring consensus in life. So the dissatisfied ones always seem to possess affinity to search different alternatives outside Kashmir. The education sector which is the biggest casualty of the turmoil has suffered a jumbo loss – to be more precise an irreparable loss. Now most of the kashmiri students prefer to study abroad and settle there. They prefer calm and conducive environment over unpredictable one. Kashmir lags behind in terms of quality education this is another reason why most of the students desiderate the quality higher education available outside Kashmir. Lack of jubilant job policies in Kashmir discourage the qualified Kashmir youth. They develop feelings of worthlessness and hence become more susceptible to depression and allied mental ailments. To meet the expectations of their family they prefer to look for jobs outside Kashmir. The unending oppression in Kashmir which has claimed lives of hundreds and thousands of innocent people of Kashmir is motivation many educated young men and women to leave Kashmir. The restraints and curbs which BJP-led govt. Is imposing on kashmiris will definitely trigger them to make off with their talents and asset. Putting countless restrictions on young and innovative minds and expecting harmony and amity is just absurdity. It is evident from the latest survey conducted by researchers from a university in Kashmir and New York’s skidmore College in the wake of new Delhi’s decision to revoke the Muslim majority region’s special status last august. Approximately 600 college and university students were part of the survey according to which, “more than 90% of students want a complete withdrawal of Indian forces from the region. Is it any wonder? Well, I have an emphatic no for this question. Instead of designing fecund job policies, kashmiri young men are propelled towards unending woe. How can they maintain the affinity to reside in their motherland? Our crafty politicians need to ponder over it and fathom the agony and sufferings of kashmiris and de what they promise in election manifesto!
(The author is B Sc Nursing student at the Institute of Nursing, south campus, University of Kashmir. Views are his own, [email protected])