• 2 months ago
As Kashmir prepares for its first assembly elections in over ten years, voters are caught between anger, disappointment, and a glimmer of optimism. With burning issues like unemployment, drug addiction, and lack of basic amenities dominating the conversation, the people of Kashmir are demanding real change, not just empty promises. Will the return of a democratically elected government bring the solutions they desperately need, or will it be more of the same? Dive into the hopes and fears of Kashmiri voters as they head to the polls.

#KashmirElections #DemocracyInKashmir #UnemploymentCrisis #PoliticalPromises #VoterVoices #KashmirVotes #JammuAndKashmir #AssemblyPolls #Election2024 #HopeForChange
~HT.178~PR.274~ED.103~GR.124~
Transcript
00:00The election season has started in Kashmir.
00:02While the political parties are holding meetings and releasing manifestos,
00:06what does an Aam Aadmi want from them? We'll try to know.
00:30Unemployment is the biggest problem here.
00:35The government that has been in power, the LG government,
00:38hasn't done much.
00:40I hope that the government that will be formed here will do something.
00:44I've been in jail for a long time.
00:47The situation was really not good.
00:49So, in between, the governments kept forming and getting worse.
00:54So, right now, our problem is that it's very important to form a government here.
01:00As a youth, as a young woman, what are your expectations from the coming elections?
01:11We hope that in this election, for the past 10 years, being a Kashmiri,
01:16we hope that something good happens for us.
01:20Whether we talk about the people here,
01:23because for the past 10 years, the people here have been fighting for their government to come here.
01:29For the government to come here, the Supreme Court had to knock on the door.
01:33So, you can understand that when the Supreme Court knocks on the door,
01:37we stand there for our rights.
01:40So, this is our hope.
01:41In this election, whichever government is formed,
01:43it will work for the Kashmiri people,
01:46it will work for the Kashmiris, it will work for the security here,
01:50it will work for the jobs here, it will work for the land here.
01:53What do you think is the difference between the Uttar Pradesh government and the coming government?
02:02What can the Uttar Pradesh government do?
02:06There is a huge difference between the Uttar Pradesh government and our government.
02:10Because, if we talk about it, you can understand it yourself,
02:13just like there is a difference between the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister,
02:16similarly, there is a difference between our Chief Minister and our government in Uttar Pradesh.
02:22The state has its own Chief Minister.
02:25If the people here have any work, they can send it to their government.
02:30But when the Uttar Pradesh government is in power,
02:32when the governor is in power,
02:35then at that time, if we talk about the ground level,
02:38the people here, who have their own problems,
02:42they are not able to reach the bureaucrats directly.
02:45Because most of the bureaucrats here,
02:47all the officials here, they have come from outside.
02:50So, here, they don't understand the language, the Kashmiri language.
02:54After that, their problems, they are not able to solve them to any extent.
02:58So, I think, if the government comes here,
03:01whatever steps the Election Commission of India has taken,
03:05as a citizen, I also welcome it.
03:08Because, Alhamdulillah, at the end, they have fixed this date,
03:12that our own government, whether it is anyone's,
03:16we are not supporting any party,
03:18whether it is anyone's party, but it will be for the people.
03:21And especially, if we talk about the youth here,
03:25who are unemployed.
03:27What are the burning issues that the Kashmiri people of Jammu and Kashmir face?
03:31What are the burning issues that the people of Jammu and Kashmir are facing?
03:35The biggest issue here is that everyone is unemployed.
03:38Maximum, if we talk about it, I will talk about it myself,
03:40even after being a degree holder here,
03:43you have to work as a salesman for 5,000 to 6,000 rupees.
03:46What will be the situation of Kashmir more than this?
03:48If we talk about the youth here,
03:50who are the only children of their parents,
03:52they go to Delhi to work for only 20,000 rupees.
03:56But they have millions of rupees on their degree.
04:00So, what will be the situation of Kashmir more than this?
04:02And on the other hand, I will talk about unemployment.
04:06On the other hand, if I talk about the power project here,
04:10it should come back on its own.
04:11Because the people here, who are our source of income,
04:14who are our own sources,
04:15if we talk about power, it should come back on its own,
04:19so that we don't get to see the power cuts and stools that are going to come.
04:26And how much work has the LG administration done so far?
04:31And how much expectation do you have from the upcoming government?
04:34The government that has existed in the LG government so far,
04:38it has not done that much work.
04:40And I see that the government that will be formed here,
04:43that will do something.
04:46The regional parties here, the political parties,
04:50they are slowly coming up with big promises.
04:55Do you think these promises will be fulfilled?
04:58Or should they only make those promises that they can fulfill?
05:01They should only make those promises that they can fulfill.
05:05If someone makes a false promise,
05:08then it is a betrayal to the Kashmiris.
05:10What problems do you expect the upcoming government to solve in your life?
05:16Apart from unemployment.
05:18Unemployment is the first problem, sir.
05:21I am from Tehran.
05:23There are a lot of problems there as well.
05:26The locals there are not allowed to build houses.
05:29They are not allowed to build the houses that they want to build for themselves.
05:36They are not allowed to build the houses that they want to build for themselves.
05:38They are not allowed to get permission.
05:40There are a lot of problems there.
05:42What should the upcoming government do to solve the problems there?
05:50What is your suggestion?
05:52Our suggestion is that the rivers there should be developed.
05:57River fences should be built.
05:59Walkways should be built on top of the rivers.
06:01The ones that were built during the war.
06:03They were demolished in Siala.
06:0520-25 years ago.
06:07If they are built, then the tourist resort will be very good.
06:11The elections are coming up.
06:13What is the expectation of the youth like you from the government?
06:15What should be done for the youth here?
06:17As everyone knows, the youth here should have a good livelihood.
06:28The government should think of a better solution for them.
06:32Something different.
06:34As you know, the unemployment will end.
06:38I want to say this for the youth.
06:40After that, the government should do whatever it can.
06:46What are the problems that the youth are facing right now?
06:54I want to tell you that the youth are facing a lot of problems right now.
06:58The youth are facing drug addiction.
07:02My suggestion to the youth is that they should leave the addiction.
07:06They should be sent to work in the companies.
07:10So that the youth can adjust in the companies.
07:14They should leave the addiction.
07:16How many changes should be made in the education sector?
07:21There should be a lot of changes in the education sector.
07:23There should be good colleges.
07:25There should be good coaching centres.
07:27So that the children can get an education.
07:29There should be a lot of solutions.
07:31The tourist season is coming up.
07:33There should be a little more flow.
07:35There should be more expansion.
07:37More.
07:39I hope that the situation will be fine.
07:43The business here has been very tough for the past few years.
07:50I hope that the situation will improve.
07:54I hope that the Kashmiri unemployed people will get a job.
08:00There is a tourist season going on here.
08:04The Kashmiri people are associated with a lot of tourists.
08:08I hope that they will benefit from this.
08:10What do you expect from the upcoming government?
08:14Are there any problems that the Kashmiris can solve?
08:18There are a lot of problems.
08:20Unemployment should end.
08:22Employment should increase.
08:24As I have said before,
08:26the tourist season should be more expanded.
08:34As far as the election is concerned,
08:36we live in a democratic country.
08:40Unfortunately,
08:42if we go on this path,
08:44it will become a very long and narrow path.
08:47But,
08:49the constitution that is given to us,
08:53the government that is formed in our country,
08:59the people elect them.
09:01The people elect their representatives.
09:03Then they send them to the assembly and parliament.
09:05So that the grievances of the people,
09:07the work of the people,
09:09will be done in a good and beneficial way.
09:11But,
09:13this is a hidden fact
09:15that in our state,
09:17in J&K,
09:19the situation has not been good for a long time.
09:21In between,
09:23governments have been formed
09:25and deteriorated.
09:27So, it is very important
09:29to form a government here.
09:31But,
09:33the people are very quiet at the moment.
09:35Why are they quiet?
09:37They see the unemployment in every way.
09:39They saw what happened in the past.
09:42Now, they see that
09:44only those people are left behind.
09:46Now, the same people
09:48are coming in front of us again.
09:50So, I have seen
09:52that when I talk to many people,
09:54they are very heartless.
09:56They cannot see anything.
09:58Whereas, we have a lot of problems.
10:00From the rest of India,
10:02which is a very big country
10:04in our country,
10:06people run their governments
10:08everywhere.
10:10But, here,
10:12for the past 10 years,
10:14we have seen
10:16that the government
10:18is not doing anything.
10:20The government is running
10:22but
10:24the people's aspirations
10:26and problems
10:28are not being addressed.
10:30The reason is that
10:32the representatives
10:34who go to them
10:36and keep their problems in front of them,
10:39they hope that they can solve their problems.
10:41Now, we have got this initiative.
10:43The government has taken it.
10:45At the end of the day,
10:47we will hold elections here.
10:49The government will be formed
10:51and we will solve
10:53the problems of the people here.
10:55There are a lot of problems here.
11:09With camera person Irfan Shah,
11:11this is Izhar Ali
11:13in Srinagar for One India.

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