Justice for terror victims reaffirms national resolve: LG

Hands over appointment letters to 37 NoKs of civilians killed by terrorists

Srinagar, Aug 05: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Wednesday said that providing justice to terror victim families is the reaffirmation of the national will as their pain and wounds remained unacknowledged for several decades.

According to the details available, LG Sinha today handed over appointment letters to 37 Next of Kins (NoKs) of civilians who were killed by terrorists. “It is a profound honour to stand with the families of terror victims on this historic day and it is not merely about appointment letters but it is about remembrance of martyrs, justice to terror victim families, and the reaffirmation of our national will.”

“My heartfelt tribute to the innocent civilians martyred by terrorists and I salute the families who, after decades of anguish and wait, now hold appointment letters that restore dignity and livelihood. For several decades, the pain of terror victim families remained unacknowledged, their wounds unseen. Terrorism tore apart homes and cast futures into uncertainty. No statistic can capture the anguish and suffering of the terror victim families. The pain lives in memories and in the quiet endurance of those who carried on despite unbearable loss. Today’s appointment letters are not just documents of employment but they are symbols of social justice, recognition and the nation’s solemn promise that its martyrs will never be forgotten, nor their families abandoned,” the Lieutenant Governor said.

The Lieutenant Governor noted that the terror victim families receiving appointment letters today are among the many beneficiaries of this new order post abrogation of Article 370.

Quoting Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s speech in Parliament on August 5, 2019, LG Sinha said that Shah had noted that more than 41,849 people had lost their lives to terrorism. “Their cases, delayed for decades, have finally been addressed. This is not compensation for loss because no money, no job, no paper can replace a loved one. It is, however, an assurance that the nation stands beside them and we are determined to help rebuild lives and restore dignity,” the Lieutenant Governor said.

Reaffirming the administration’s resolve to eliminate terrorism, LG Sinha said the Jammu and Kashmir Police, Army, CRPF and civil administration were working in close coordination to dismantle the terror ecosystem.

He said, “By ending the system that bred discrimination and terrorism, PM Modi made it clear that in Jammu Kashmir, lamps of prosperity would not burn only in a select few palaces but also in the huts of the poor. Today, after 33 years, a lamp has been lit in the home of martyr Wali Mohammad Wani of Shopian. On 16 July 1993, Wali Mohammad was killed by terrorists’ bullets. Today not only his family but the entire Shopian feels connected to the national mainstream,” the Lieutenant Governor said.

Speaking to reporters after handing over appointment letters to the NOKs of terror victims, LG Sinha said the government was processing similar cases to ensure that all eligible families receive compassionate appointments in accordance with the existing policy. He said a number of affected families had remained without employment benefits for years despite provisions for such assistance.

The Lieutenant Governor reiterated that the administration would continue extending support to families affected by terrorism, including through compassionate appointments for eligible dependents. “The government is committed to providing jobs to all eligible families of civilians killed in terrorist incidents.”