Looking into the loss of lives in the Valley, one can say that the decision taken by the J&K administration with regard to posting Kashmiri migrants employed under the Prime Minister’s Special Package and other employees belonging to the Jammu division in secured locations in the Valley by June 6 is the most necessary one. Had the government taken this decision a little earlier the precious lives of lady teacher Rajni Bala and Kashimiri Pandit employee Rahul Bhat could have been saved. The government has to take many things into consideration before making such decisions, therefore gauging the situation without knowing the ground reality is not fair. The LG Manoj Sinha’s administration has taken a prudent step in relocating all the KP employees to safer places in the Valley and therefore those who are protesting against the government should end the same at the earliest because such things create hurdles in the functioning of the government as attention gets diverted which at present the government cannot afford. The vital decision came after a series of targeted killings of Hindu government employees by terrorists in Kashmir and fears of their exodus from Kashmir. The reports surfacing from the Valley are telling that the government will ensure that no employee should work or reside in isolated areas or in a scattered manner. The mechanism has been established to give priority to KP employees posted in the Valley as far as their complaints or grievances are concerned but what is more important is to provide adequate security to such employees who can be the targets of the terrorists in the coming time. It is advisable that government should relocate such employees in clusters where security forces can provide robust security and there is no fear of any kind of terrorist attack. Of course confidence-building measures must be taken to ensure that the employees feel secure. Besides during the office hours, the security should also be geared up at the places where such employees are residing as the government cannot take any kind of risk by leaving the KP employees without security. The government should also look after the security of other communities living in the Valley as target killings were not limited to KP employees only.
