9: Episode 9 | Truckers fear for their lives, apple traders lose hope

Voices from the Lockdown

Episode 9
75th day of communication blockade since August 5, postpaid mobile services restored, internet and prepaid mobile services still down.
Sharifuddin Khan from Rajasthan, Sethi Kumar Sagar from Chattisgarh and Charanjeet Singh from Punjab have been shot dead in Kashmir in the span of one week. Sharif Khan was a trucker, Sethi Kumar was a brick kiln worker and Charanjeet Singh was an apple trader. One more trucker, Sanjeev Singh from Punjab who was attacked along with Charanjeet Singh, is critical at the moment.

These incidents have further affected Kashmir, which has been under a clampdown since the August 5 decision of the Indian government to abrogate Article 370 and Article 35A. Apple trade had just started to resume operations since postpaid mobile services were restored in the Valley on Monday.

But these killings have sent shockwaves across Kashmir. Markets have shut down. Truckers are scared. Traders are scared.

In todays episode, we will explore the predicament of truckers, both non-local and local, and traders from the fruit markets of Kashmir.

In the first segment, Quaratulain Rehbar will talk to us about her conversations with multiple truckers, who are in Kashmir at the moment, stuck in between taking the road back home and protecting their life. Included are excerpts from interviews with truckers Dilbagh Singh from Punjab, Irfan from Haryana and Darshan Singh from Punjab.

In the second segment, we will speak to Javid Ahmad and Mansoor Peer, who have spoken to the traders from Shopian and Sopore Markets. Included are excerpts from interviews with Muhammad Ashraf Wani, President of the Shopian Fruit Growers Association and Fayaz Ahmed Malik, the President of the Sopore Fruit Market Traders Association.