RAWALPINDI: Sordid tales of human misery and blood-curdling stories of Indian oppression all in the perspective of a severe famine raging in parts of Indian-occupied Kashmir are carried by refugees arriving here after trekking long distances.

It may be mentioned that lately the number of refugees reaching Pakistan has increased. The bleak prospects of any improvement in the conditions in Indian Kashmir, it is pointed out, have resulted in the movement of a large number of people.

Two parties of refugees, one belonging to Baramula and the other to Srinagar, who arrived here today [Aug 19], stated that the people of Kashmir Valley were not only faced with scarcity of foodstuffs but were also experiencing a simultaneous shortage of all consumer goods. ... They pointed out that the situation created by the high prices had grown still worse by the large-scale unemployment... . They stated that during the summer the house-boats had to be requisitioned by the Government to transport rice from one place to the other as there was no tourist traffic. But the wages paid to the people were very small.

Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2024