World Humanitarian Day, celebrated every August 19, shines a light on the brave souls who risk their lives to help others in times of crisis, a tradition born from the tragic 2003 bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad that claimed 22 aid workers. In Jammu and Kashmir, a land of breathtaking mountains and shimmering lakes, torn apart by decades of violence fuelled by Pakistan’s relentless agenda, this day holds profound significance. The conflict, driven by Pakistan’s proxies, has left a trail of suffering, hitting hardest the most vulnerable; the street vendors, the daily wage earners and labourers who depend on each day’s work to put the food on the table. Yet, in those dark times, humanitarian workers from local NGOs, trusts and community groups have stood tall, delivering food, clothes and hope to keep these struggling families alive despite the chaos of shutdowns and terror.
The roots of this turmoil stretch back to 1947, when Pakistan sent tribal militias to invade Kashmir, sparking a conflict that festered for decades. By the late 1980s, Pakistan escalated its campaign, arming and training militant groups to unleash terror across the valley. Their weapons were not just guns and bombs but a sinister propaganda of jihad and occupation, peddled through whispered networks, tricking gullible youth into believing they were fighting a holy war against India. These young men, lured by false promises of glory, picked up arms only to be gunned down in encounters, leaving behind grieving widows and orphaned children. Others fell victim to a second cruel tactic: Pakistan backed terrorists branded civilians as “informers”, a flimsy excuse to murder innocent shopkeepers, farmers and teachers, spreading fear and silencing communities. These twin evils; brainwashing the vulnerable into becoming cannon fodder and killing those labelled as traitors, shattered countless families, leaving women widowed and children parentless, with their lives upended by Pakistan’s destructive schemes.
The marginalized bore the brunt of this chaos. Street vendors selling fruits in Srinagar’s bustling bazaars, labourers hauling bricks on construction sites and workers picking fruit in orchards relied on daily earnings of 300-500 rupees to survive. For them, a single day without work meant no rice, no oil and no hope. Pakistan’s proxies, through militant attacks and separatist calls for hartals stole these livelihoods. Hartals, pushed by groups like the Hurriyat Conference, were a weapon of disruption, closing markets, halting buses and emptying streets for days or weeks. A vendor’s cart sat idle, a labourer’s tools gathered dust and families faced hunger as savings dwindled. Agriculture and small trades, the backbone of Kashmir’s economy, suffered, with over 60% of the workforce in the informal sector left with no safety net. Militants enforced these shutdowns with threats, burning shops or attacking those who dared to work, piling economic pain onto emotional despair.
The unrest of 2008, 2010 and 2016 stood as grim reminders of this toll. In 2008, protests flared into weeks of violence, killing dozens and locking the valley under curfews. Vendors, counting on tourists and locals, saw their stalls deserted as fear kept customers away. Labourers on building sites went unpaid, their families scraping by on borrowed money. The economic losses were massive, but for the poor, it was a matter of survival. Humanitarian workers stepped up, undeterred by the danger. Local groups, including mosque-based charities and trusts like the J&K Yateem Trust, handed out food packets; bags of rice, lentils and oil, to thousands of families. Volunteers trekked through risky streets, dodging barricades to deliver aid, ensuring widows and daily wagers had enough to eat. They also gave out clothes and small sums of cash, offering a lifeline to those hit hardest.
The 2010 unrest was even worse, with stone pelting protests triggering months of curfews. Apple pickers in rural orchards, a vital income source for many, watched their harvest rot as movement restrictions kept them from work. Street vendors by Dal Lake, selling snacks or handicrafts, faced empty paths as tourism vanished. Separatist shutdowns dragged on, forcing families to borrow at crippling rates or sell belongings just to buy bread. Humanitarian workers didn’t flinch. Organizations like HELP Foundation and CHINAR Kashmir brought food kits, blankets and medical supplies to stranded labourers and vendors. Volunteers, risking their own safety, carried aid on foot through curfew bound areas, offering not just relief but a spark of hope in a time of despair. Their efforts meant families didn’t starve, even when the world around them seemed to collapse.
In 2016, the killing of a militant commander ignited months of protests. The long hartals crushed the informal economy, with tourism, a lifeline for vendors, guides and pony wallahs, grinding to a halt. Labourers in trades like carpet weaving or fruit harvesting were jobless, their families struggling to afford basics. Separatists, echoing Pakistan’s narratives, stretched these shutdowns to push their cause, but it was the poor who suffered most. Humanitarian workers fought back with action. NGOs handed out food, clothes and cash to downtrodden, staving off hunger. In overwhelmed hospitals, volunteers helped
doctors treat the injured, ensuring care reached those hurt in the clashes. These acts of kindness kept communities afloat, proving that compassion could outlast chaos.The violence of those years didn’t stop at shutdowns. Pakistan backed militants targeted civilians, including workers, to spread fear. These killings left families struggling, with widows and orphans vulnerable to militant recruiters who preyed on their grief. Humanitarian workers faced the same dangers. Drug de addiction activists, tackling the narco-terror trade that funded militancy, were targeted for their efforts. Paramedics and doctors died in ambushes while rushing to aid victims, their courage shining through the darkness. Despite being falsely called “state backed,” the humanitarian workers pressed on, offering skill training, food and shelter to the poor, therefore countering the destruction with care.
Beyond the violence, the conflict’s ripples left deep scars. Widows, mourning husbands lost to Pakistan’s jihad propaganda or killings by terrorists, struggled to raise children alone. Orphans, robbed of parents, faced a bleak future. Yet, humanitarian workers and NGOs stepped in, turning despair into opportunity. Orphanages nurtured children who went on to become engineers, doctors and entrepreneurs, defying the legacy of loss. Trusts and community groups provided vocational training to widows, helping them earn a living and rebuild their lives. Even during natural disasters like the 2005 earthquake or 2014 floods, these workers were there, distributing essentials and rebuilding hope alongside homes. Their efforts showed that no crisis, whether man made or natural, could dim their resolve.
The conflict’s toll on Jammu and Kashmir’s marginalized was brutal: shutdowns stole their income, protests locked them in poverty and terror claimed their lives. Street vendors, unable to sell their wares, watched their families go hungry. Daily wagers, with no work, faced impossible choices; either pay rent or buy food. Labourers, caught in the crossfire of hartals and attacks, saw their livelihoods crumble. Yet, humanitarian workers, ordinary people with extraordinary courage, were their salvation. They braved curfews, dodged dangers and delivered aid to the neediest, ensuring survival in the face of Pakistan’s destructive plans. On World Humanitarian Day, we salute these unsung heroes who defied a legacy of violence, proving that in a land once torn apart, kindness could triumph. Their work not only saved lives but planted seeds of hope, showing the world that humanity’s light burns brightest in the darkest times.
