Goli For Terrorists, Jobs For Victims: J&K Lt Governor Issues Appointment Letters

Hope is blooming in the alleys of Jammu and Kashmir, where gunfire and grief echo the horrendous past. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha's rehabilitation policy offering jobs to the families of terror attack victims, is bringing a semblance of closure. In the latest development, 41 people, family members of victims of terrorism in the Jammu division have been given appointment letters.

For Asif Salman Bhat, this appointment letter - the one he received from Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha - is more than just a piece of paper. It is a chance to rebuild his life, shattered in a terrorist attack.

The haunting memories of that fateful night still linger in Asif's mind. It was 2005, in Doda's Kahra village, where Asif lay sleeping beside his father, Abdul Wahid Bhat, a Special Police Officer (SPO). The terrorists struck, ravaging their home, targeting his father, and leaving a trail of destruction. Asif's life was forever changed, and his family's struggles began.

For years, the Bhat family faced unimaginable hardships as terrorists snuffed out the life of his father, the sole breadwinner.

Asif applied for a job under the Jammu and Kashmir Rehabilitation Assistance Scheme, and the long, arduous wait ended on Thursday.

Asif is not alone.

For 25 long years, Kalyan Singh's life was a maze of uncertainty, a relentless pursuit of justice that seemed forever out of reach. In 1999, Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists entered Singh's house in Doda and killed his father and 14 other family members, leaving an indelible scar.

"It was a cruel irony to see terrorists' children secure government jobs while we struggled to make ends meet," Kalyan's voice cracked with emotion.

Today, as he holds an appointment letter, he's overwhelmed with gratitude for the support the is helping many like him lead a dignified life.

Naseeb Singh's eyes well up as he recounts the brutal murder of his father and four family members in Kotranka, Rajouri. The terrorists' callousness still haunts him - they laughed and dined while his loved ones suffered.

"They (the previous government) seemed more interested in appeasing terrorists than helping us," Singh says, his voice trembling with pain and anger. "I can finally give my family a decent life, and that's all that matters," he adds.

Earlier, on July 28, the Lieutenant Governor handed over appointment letters to 94 families from the Jammu division.

In his address, the Lieutenant Governor paid homage to the civilian who died in several terror attacks and shared the grief of the victims' families.

"Terror victim families were left to struggle in silence for decades. Justice was denied to these families. The deep scars were never healed. Such families are now being recognised, respected and rehabilitated. Jobs to the real victims of terror and true martyrs reflect the commitment that the nation stands with them with concrete action," he said.

Governor Sinha said that the government is now dismantling the terror ecosystem.

"We have not bought peace, but established peace. The days of misgovernance are over. Now, terrorists, separatists and their patrons are not given government jobs, but they are being identified and given the harshest punishment for their deeds," he said.

He reiterated that terror victims will be given jobs, ensuring they get the support they deserve.

"As far as terrorists are concerned, they will get goli (bullet) and no mercy, no sympathy for them....While terror victims will get justice and jobs," he quipped.