Srinagar, Jan 21 : Senior Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader and Pulwama legislator, Waheed-ur-Rehman Para, has highlighted a severe public health crisis, stating that cancer is claiming lives in Jammu and Kashmir at a rate far exceeding the region’s conflict-related fatalities.
Citing stark figures in a post on the social media platform X, Para as per news agency Kashmir News Service (KNS) stated that approximately 67,000 cancer-related deaths have occurred in the Union Territory over the past five years. This toll, he stated, is comparable to the number of lives lost to the conflict over the preceding three decades.
“The biggest battles are often the ones we don’t see,” Para stated. He emphasized that the crisis is exacerbated by a strained healthcare system, which forces many families—particularly those with limited means—to sell land and assets to seek treatment outside Kashmir due to overburdened and under-resourced local hospitals.
The PDP leader described the situation as both a critical health emergency and a governance crisis that “cannot be ignored.” He called upon the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir to address the challenge urgently. (KNS)
