E-Paper
Families anxious as three differently-abled Kashmiri youths stranded in Mohali
The trio from South Kashmir had arrived in Mohali in February to pursue a three-month skill development programme under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana at the Mentor Skills India LLP in Mohali.
The families of three hearing and speech impaired Kashmiris who are stranded in Mohali remain worried as they are uncertain about their return to the Valley due to the coronavirus curfew.
The trio from South Kashmir had arrived in Mohali in February to pursue a three-month skill development programme under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana at the Mentor Skills India LLP in Mohali.
Aquib Gull, 23, hails from Qazigund in Anantnag, Anamullah Rather, 24, is from Larkipora in Anantnag, and Basit Showkat, 19, is from South Kashmir’s Kulgam district. The families of the three have made several attempts but haven’t been able to find any way to bring them back.
Showkat Ahmad Padder, father of Basit, said, “I am perturbed as I do not know when my son will be back home. As he cannot speak or hear, I contact him through video call every day to find out what he is doing.”
“We had hired a vehicle to bring all three of them back, but we were not given permission for movement. It is hard for us and we await their evacuation from Mohali,” said Padder.
Harminder Singh, who is the interpreter of the three stranded persons, said, “They came here in February to pursue a three-month course in customer relationship management (non-voice) and their exams were due on April 17. They are lodged in hostels at present, and we are providing them every help possible.”
Umaisar Gull, brother of Aquib, said, “We have contacted the Mohali administration for their evacuation, and we are ready to quarantine them if they will be returned home.”
Manager of JK House, Chandigarh, and liaison officer for students in the region, Dr Inderjot Singh, said, “I came to know about the situation only today, and I have contacted the institution as well. They are being provided all help and I will also get in touch with the authorities to send them back home.”
Nasir Khuehami of the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) said, “We demand their immediate evacuation as they cannot even communicate. We have spoken to the government officials, too.”
