Chairman Hurriyat Conference (M) Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Wednesday inaugurated a business venture in Rainawari area of downtown Srinagar and urged youth to find ways and means of establishing businesses wherein they can sustain their livelihood in an honest manner as prescribed by our religion.In a statement issued to GNS, Mirwaiz emphasized that in any business venture, hard work is critical for its success. Similarly, the respect for the dignity of labour is a basic requirement for any nation to progress, he said.Addressing a large number of youth present on the occasion, Mirwaiz said apart from carpet and shawl industry, Kashmir has been known for its other traditional handicrafts such as namdahkari, copper, silver paper machie but all these seem to be losing their relevance with each passing day as today’s youth seem not to be inclined towards these ventures. He said that Kashmir is fast losing these traditional means of businesses which is a great cause of worry and concern.
Mirwaiz said as unemployment has touched new heights, it’s unfortunate that while lakhs of non-state residents are earning their livelihood in Kashmir as there is a dearth of skilled labour why can’t the Kashmir youth do the same and sustain their livelihood. He urged youth to evince interest in reviving the Kashmir’s age-old traditional business activities stating that youth can really excel and innovate if they take traditional business as means of livelihood.Mirwaiz also laid emphasis on the growing social evils stating that the incidents of suicides by young girls and boys have shown a sudden spurt. “It’s unfortunate that many incidents of newborn babies being abandoned tell us about the state of affairs in our society which is quite alarming,” he said.Meanwhile, Hurriyat (M) spokesperson condemned the nocturnal raids in Pulwama’s Kakapora, Samboora and Hajin area of Bandipora and arrest of many youths, terming it as the highhandedness of forces and a move aimed at instilling fear among people.He also condemned forces’ action of vandalizing the property of people during night raids. He said the harassment of youth across Kashmir is a well-planned strategy to force people of Valley into a submission, “but all the repressive measures are destined to fail”. (GNS)