The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA), has taken up the issue of ongoing harassment, extortion, and illegal detention of Kashmiri livestock transporters with Punjab Chief Secretary K.A.P. Sinha and senior officials of the Punjab Government.
In a telephonic conversation, National Convenor of Association Nasir Khuehami conveyed grave concerns over the systematic exploitation of livestock transporters en route to Jammu and Kashmir, particularly at checkpoints like Shambu and Madhopur. He highlighted how certain private individuals, under the guise of animal welfare, have been extorting money, filing baseless FIRs, and unlawfully detaining transport vehicles. This has caused severe economic losses, livestock deaths, and immense distress to Kashmiri traders.
Khuehami urged the Chief Secretary to ensure urgent intervention, asserting that the livelihoods, dignity, and safety of transporters must be protected at all costs. “This is not merely an administrative lapse, it is an organized assault on the economic interests of Kashmir. Mafia-style tactics are being openly employed under state watch and must be dismantled without delay,” he said.
The Chief Secretary assured Khuehami that the issue is being taken very seriously and will be addressed on top priority. He informed that the Secretary of the Rural Development Department has already been instructed to intervene and ensure that no private actor unlawfully interferes in the transportation of livestock. "FIRs will be lodged against the perpetrators, and necessary legal action will follow," he confirmed.
Khuehami has spoken to Baltej Pannu, Media advisor to the Punjab Chief Minister, and urged immediate governmental response. Pannu assured him that the Chief Minister’s Office will speak to and instruct Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav to take swift and stern action, ensuring that those responsible are brought to justice.
Khuehami demanded that the Punjab Government immediately revoke all false FIRs filed against transporters, release all seized livestock and vehicles, and take strict action against individuals and groups involved in this open extortion racket. He emphasized that continued inaction would not only deepen economic marginalization but also erode trust in inter-state administrative cooperation.