kashmiris in bengaluru appeal to help bring back their families

CH News

Bengaluru

A large number of Kash miri people living in Ben galuru have appealed to the Karnataka Govern ment to help bring back their families who are now stranded in Kashmir. This comes in the wake of Pakistani troops resum ing firing across the Line of Control (LoC), includ ing Kupwara and Uri ear ly on Friday morning. Speaking to CH, Mir Nawaz, a carpet business man, who has been living in the city for the last 23 years said, ``My family who returned home for summer holiday are stranded in Srinagar. The airport, which has been taken over by the Indian Air Force (IAF), has been closed till May 12’’. Further he added, ``we are with the government of India in the fight against terrorism and ap peal to them to finish off this terror story forever and let us live in peace. Now, our only concern, is about our families return ing to Bengaluru. Benga luru and Karnataka is now home to us, our chil dren were born and study here and we speak fluent Kannada and consider ourselves as Kannadi gas.’’ There are more tourists from Karnataka, including teachers from Baldwin’s boys school stranded in Srinagar and different parts of Kash mir, said Mir Nawaz, There are about 100 Kashmiri families living in Bengaluru, they have showrooms selling Kash miri carpets and handi crafts on Cunningham Road, Infantry Road, MG Road, Brigade Road, Commercial Street, Old Airport Road, Vasanth Nagar, Koramangala and other areas in the city, for decades. However, the shop owners told CH inci dents of violence in Kashmir have not had an impact on their business in Bengaluru. They also said that they feel safe in Bengaluru. According to Aijaz Makhdoomi, president Kashmir Association, Bengaluru, the situation is ``tense’’ back home. ``We stand with the gov ernment of India at this point of time,’’ he said. On the issue of Kash miri’s from Bengaluru and Karnataka being stranded in Srinagar, he said, ``we only have to wait and watch as this is a war on terror.’’ A Kashmiri student, who is pursuing his high er studies at a reputed college in North East Bengaluru said ``we are with the government of India in this fight against terror. My friends and I feel safe here. I have a lot of local friends who treat us like family. Hun dreds of Kashmiris have studied in colleges in Bengaluru earlier. We are grateful to Bengaluru and Karnataka for imparting education to us’’.