Srinagar: The challenging circumstances faced by educated youth in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) starkly contrast with the Indian government’s claims of development and normalcy, as evidenced by the plight of a PhD scholar forced to sell dry fruits in Srinagar.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Junaid Afzal, who revealed his situation in a viral video on X (formerly Twitter), symbolizes the distress many Kashmiri scholars experience. Despite producing approximately 50 scholars yearly across various disciplines, only a fraction secure employment through India’s Public Service Commission, leaving about 90% of these highly educated individuals unemployed and facing severe mental and socio-economic challenges.
The dire circumstances underscore the ongoing crisis since the revocation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, which stripped IIOJK of its special status. This move, meant to herald a new era of normalcy and development, has instead deepened the region’s distress, making the government’s progress claims ring hollow against the real struggles of scholars like Junaid Afzal.