Uttarakhand-like attacks forcing Kashmir youth to look inwards: Omar Abdullah

J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday (January 30, 2026) said the attacks on Kashmiris outside were forcing local youth to look inwards for livelihood. Meanwhile, Kashmir chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and BJP leader Ashok Kaul also condemned such incidents. 

Referring to an attack on two Kashmiri shawl sellers in Uttarakhand two days ago, Mr. Abdullah said, “Unlike other States, I cannot ask my people to leave J&K and seek employment elsewhere. We have seen what our people have faced outside in recent times, whether it was in Himachal Pradesh or what happened recently in Uttarakhand. As a result, our people are now looking inward rather than going outside.”

Mr. Abdullah said J&K has to build a strong start-up ecosystem for employment within, “to protect our people and provide them with sustainable opportunities”.

Though the Uttarakhand police lodged a First Information Report (FIR) and arrested an accused on Thursday (January 29, 2026), there has been no let-up in condemnation in Kashmir. Hurriyat chairman and cleric Mirwaiz raised the issue in the Friday sermon at Jama Masjid in Srinagar.

“The brutal assault with iron rods on 18-year-old Kashmiri shawl vendor Tabish and his brother Danish in Uttarakhand’s Vikas Nagar area reflects the disturbing pattern of communal profiling and hostility faced by ordinary Kashmiris outside J&K,” the Mirwaiz said.

The Mirwaiz alleged growing incidents of harassment and attacks on Kashmiri traders, labourers and students were also reported from Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and other parts of the country. “Such incidents have caused anxiety and fear among Kashmiris living outside and their families. The authorities should take this matter seriously and ensure the safety of Kashmiris outside,” he added.

Why is J&K Lieutenant Governor silent?

Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) leader and legislator Sheikh Khursheed termed the attack on Kashmiris “deeply disturbing and unacceptable.”

“Why is the J&K LG silent [over the issue]? He has never uttered a single word on any such attack. You slap PSA [Public Safety Act] on MLAs, bulldoze and blast houses, terminate employees, silence voices, and yet remain silent when our people are attacked outside. This selective approach is deeply troubling,” Mr. Khursheed said. The legislator from Langate in north Kashmir said it’s this silence that has “only emboldened the perpetrators”. 

J&K Peoples Conference (JKPC) chief Sajad Lone warned of long-term consequences of such incidents. “Within J&K, the expected outrage is confined. Even in our own Jammu division, there is no such anger asking why Kashmiris are being targeted. Kashmiris have been isolated like this, which is not a good thing. I wish today’s rulers would understand that this has long-term implications and is not good,” Mr. Lone said.

He praised the administration of Punjab and West Bengal. “I am absolutely grateful to these two States. They never do such things. I am surprised, in Himachal, there is a Congress government, yet attacks happen repeatedly there too,” Mr. Lone said.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) general secretary Ashok Koul also termed the Uttarakhand incident as “unfortunate and wrong”. “Such incidents should not happen,” Mr. Koul said.