Awami Itihaad Party (AIP) Chief Spokesperson Inam Un Nabi on Thursday said that Baramulla MP Engineer Rashid has written two detailed and strongly worded letters to the Chief Ministers of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, seeking immediate and stern action against those involved in assaults and humiliation of Kashmiri shawl sellers in their states.
He said the letters have reached the party through the legal counsel of Er Rashid.
Inam Un Nabi said that in his letter to the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Jailed MP Er Rashid expressed deep anguish over television visuals showing Kashmiri shawl sellers being assaulted and humiliated by fringe elements. Er Rashid wrote that Himachal Pradesh is widely known for its tolerant and secular ethos and such incidents seriously tarnish that reputation.
He questioned whether similar acts against non-Kashmiris in Jammu and Kashmir would have been treated with such silence, stating that in Kashmir, perpetrators would have been booked under stringent laws and branded extremists. Er Rashid warned that repeated inaction raises serious questions about claims of inclusiveness and secularism and hurts the self-respect not only of the victims but of the entire people of Jammu and Kashmir.
Referring to his letter to the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Inam Un Nabi said Er Rashid described the assault on a Kashmiri shawl seller from his constituency as painful and deeply disturbing. In the letter, Er Rashid asked bluntly whether being Kashmiri has become a crime in the country. He reminded the Uttarakhand government that Kashmiris have a proud record of treating tourists and outsiders with honour and dignity, and questioned why similar values were not being upheld elsewhere.
He cautioned that selective silence and weak responses embolden goons and normalize lawlessness.
In both letters, Jailed MP Er Rashid categorically demanded strict and exemplary action against the culprits so that no one dares to take the law into their own hands in the name of ultra-nationalism. He also urged the state governments to ensure the safety, dignity and livelihood of Kashmiri traders working outside Jammu and Kashmir.
Copies of the letters, he added, have also been marked to the Union Home Secretary, seeking intervention to safeguard Kashmiris studying or earning their livelihood across the country.
