Earlier this month, India jumped 14 places, to be ranked 63rd among 190 countries in the Ease of Doing Business 2020 index. Mention that to businessmen in Jammu and Kashmir, and they would have a completely different story to tell.
Since abrogation of Article 370 in Kashmir, which resulted in the clampdown on communication, businesses across various sectors have incurred losses to the tune of more than Rs 10,000 crore, according to the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI).
But that’s not all. The flesh and blood aspect of the story involves the incarceration of at least four top businessmen on grounds of ‘preventive detention’.
“This number is just the loss that he have faced. Consider the damage done to the entire business environment. It will affect us for many more years to come,” Ashiq told The Quint.
Explaining the ordeal further, Ashiq explained how investors are withdrawing their businesses out of the state.
“The IT sector was slowly starting to blossom here. Now, these clients are from US or Europe and they do not want any sort of disruption. So, since the abrogation of Article 370, many companies have moved out to places like Delhi or Chandigarh,” he said.
Ashiq also said that he has not received assurance from the authorities despite raising issues with them.
“We have spoken to the authorities about the situation but to no avail. More than 80,000 shops have been shut, above 2,000 infrastructure projects have come to a standstill, almost 2 lakh migrant workers have left Kashmir. Who will own the responsibility for all this?” Ashiq summed up.
On the intervening night of 4 and 5 August, just before the abrogation, top businessmen across Kashmir were picked up by the police on grounds of ‘preventive detention’. Among them was Mubeen Shah, a wealthy Kashmiri merchant and an NRI, based in Malaysia.
Shah had come to India in April to see his brother-in-law who was unwell and was arrested by the police, without a warrant. He is currently imprisoned in Agra.
“They are completely vague, copy paste charges. Citing the discussions that he has with people, it was charged that he could create public disorder. Essentially, in cases like these it needs to be specified what exactly has the accused said in his speeches or during discussions and what was the public’s reaction to that. But not a whisper of anything such was mentioned,” Sankarnarayanan told The Quint.
A similar chain of events was echoed by Irfan, brother-in-law of Mohammad Yasin Khan, president of Kashmir Traders and Manufacturers Federation (KTMF). Khan too, was detained on the same night and on the same charges.
Yasin, also jailed in Agra, could not attend his mother’s funeral, who passed away on 24 October.
Khan’s lawyers have filed a plea in the Jammu and Kashmir High Court asking for permission to meet him in jail and for quashing the charges against him.
While the relatives have now been allowed to meet him once in fortnight, the Court, in the last hearing on 11 October, gave the administration three weeks to file a reply, as far as quashing of charges are concerned.
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