Dr. Arshid Hussain on speaking to Kashmir Correspondent Zehru Nissa says that the second wave hit mental health worse in Kashmir.
Dr. Arshid Hussain renowned professor of psychiatry at GMC in Srinagar elaborated on the drastic effects of the second wave of COVID-19 in the Valle leading to rising suicides as reported in the media.
Kashmir has been hanging at the edge of the cliff for quite some time due to the conflict and prevalent socio-economic factors. The pandemic added insult to injury with loss of loved ones, livelihoods destroyed due to economic crashes, and political tensions.
When Zehru Nissa asked the doctor, “Has depression conquered Kashmir along with the virus?”
He replied,” No, depression has not conquered us but our resilience and coping mechanisms have been put to test by the current pandemic. Besides faith, altruism, and humor, social networking and bonding have been important mainstay of our coping mechanism to all kinds of disasters. However in the current scenario, these very important processes got severely affected as the disease itself demanded curtailment. This social behavior resulted in a lot of pressure on individuals and small family units. As a consequence, many couldn’t deal with the huge stress load thereby leading to antecedent mental health consequences.”
Going back in time, we must recall that the abrogation of Article 370 on 5 August 2019 was considered a masterstroke in India bifurcating J&K into two Union Territories and this led to an eerie calm in the Valley which had the propensities to blast with the tiniest provocations from the borders.
Due to this, a lockdown was imposed in Kashmir which affected the Kashmiris in many arenas – physically, emotionally, financially, and politically. The lockdown also led to high-stress levels, anxiety, and depression. While the lockdown went on for over a year.
As if matters were not already horrible, in December 2019 another calamity stalked the Earth in the form of the Coronavirus. Since the virus needs distancing to kill it off, vigorous lockdowns were operated over nations. Kashmir’s lockdown was extended for 3 years! A brief opening occurred but once again, the doors were closed due to COVID and tourism the main financial income source was Kashmir was ruined.
Indians closed their eyes to a very extreme lockdown in Kashmir which deprived thousands of livelihoods where the financial sector was hit in vast proportions crippling businesses further with the suspension of the Internet, mobile phones even down exclusions of SMS. The J&K lockdown led to Rs 12,000 crore loss during the 100 days lockdown. KCCI president Sheikh Ashiq Hussain said, “A single day’s shutdown in Kashmir results in a loss of Rs 125 crore. Every kind of business was hit badly in Kashmir since August 5th and yet no one is taking responsibility for it.”
Economies crashed to deeper degrees. For Kashmir, it was a triple blow that hit harder than any other place on Earth because J&K had already suffered intensely during the previous 100 day’s lockdown. Core sectors of the economy of J&K have witnessed a steep decline after the abrogation of Article 370. Due to the communications siege, lockdown, curfews, and militant threats, in the past months alone, the economy of Kashmir lost INR 178.78 billion and lost more than 90,000 jobs in the sectors of handicraft, tourism, and information technology.
This is the first time in the past 70 years that rural Kashmir is facing such a great degree of economic slowdown. Tourism is down to the ground, the horticulture industry is dwindling, and students are suffering because of the ongoing internet blockade.
The apple industry in Kashmir, worth INR 80 billion which contributes eight percent of J&K’s GDP, has been crushed. The Government’s clampdown delayed the harvest for over a month crashing the industry during the peak harvest season. By the time the Government intervened, apple produce was procured and marketed by NAFED, it was too late and the damage had been done. Before this, in fact, hundreds of farmers were forced to either sell their apples at throwaway prices or let their apples rot.
While the world is hit by financial fall due to COVID-19, for Kashmir, it is a triple-axed blow by the intense lockdown due to the abrogation of Article 370, and then lockdown due to COVID-19 creating huge problems.
Presently, the Central Government’s focus is nose deep in domicile matters and GST. Sadly, the financial hurts, losses, and painful problems in Kashmir are not the top priority. There is a rapid spike of Coronavirus patients in the Valley, hospitals are overflowing and many sick patients are turned away. There are only 1,000 dedicated beds available in the five main hospitals of Srinagar of which 70 percent have oxygen supply lines and only 20 percent have ventilators.
While the food and medical industries still manage to survive, the textile and handicraft industries struggle as sales are next to zero. Children have even lost lives during shootouts, hundreds wounded blinded by pellet guns, hundreds incarcerated without proper law, people killed shot by crossfire, many innocents just happen to get in the way of fire, people are living in fear while the Army floods the tiny State.
On June 2, 2021, in Kupwara, the police have booked at least eight persons under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for allegedly sloganeering at the funeral of a youth who was killed in an accident recently in Kupwara district of North Kashmir. Youth are randomly arrested for raising voices and it is apparent that Kashmiri voices are muffled and arrested at the drop of a hat, making daily living almost frightening.
Kashmiri journalist Aasif Sultan kept in jail for more than 1,000 days and the 34-year-old is held under the harsh Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and other charges, but family and lawyer say he was targeted for a story he wrote. Journalists are not given the freedom to write and share events as normal journalists can.
There is poverty all over Kashmir due to the COVID lockdown and lost just basic human rights with no freedom of the press, no freedom of expression, no freedom to planning a future without anxiety, and at that time, the 2G Internet was in operation and would not allow business or schools to function, and also basically robbing lives of any simple pleasures too.
It is a tragedy that most Kashmiris today are very poor and many have to think of leaving Kashmir in order to survive to build better prospects in their lives. Did the BJP revoke article 370 to deprive Kashmiris of their lives, so much so that they have to go to another country for a better life?
Recently it was discovered that over 70 teachers were not paid salaries for three years causing such distress that one youth, whose father a teacher not paid, took his life.
These misfortunes hurt Kashmiris. So many have lost government jobs and tourism in the hands of the Center is not building up in any way. In fact, it cannot as long as Kashmir remains a militarized zone because people are scared.
Their trade is hit heavily, youth are taking their lives out of depression, drug markets are creeping in, and basically, everyone is languishing with joblessness, perhaps worse than anywhere else in the world because Kashmir suffered a 3-year lockdown, first with article 370 abrogation and now with COVID-19. Today, we cannot even comprehend the misery Kashmir went through and most of us are diplomatically silent.
Nearly 6000 died by suicide in the past three decades in Jammu and Kashmir and experts blame the explosion of the armed conflict in Jammu and Kashmir in the late ’90s which has particularly taken a heavy toll on life and property in Kashmir Valley leading to the rise in the number of suicides in the region of late and also the COVID lockdown.
Dr. Yasir Ahmad Rather, Consultant Psychiatrist and Associate Professor at the Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (IMHANS) GMC Srinagar expressed concern over the sudden rise in the number of suicides in J&K particularly in Kashmir, given its past history.
“If we go back to a few decades, the suicide rate in Kashmir was as low as 0.5 per lakh population- at par with Kuwait’s 0.1/ 1 lakh population-and which is considered to be the lowest in the whole world,”
“The armed conflict, which has been more concentrated in the valley, and mental health issues are contributing to the rising number of suicides in the valley,” he said.
He cited a study conducted by the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) – an international humanitarian medical non-governmental organization – revealing that “45 percent of Kashmiri population is in psychological distress” even as another research study conducted by ‘Action Aid’ has shown that “there is 1.8% of active suicidality in Kashmiri population” he said.
The Central Government needs to take greater steps and give far more assistance to build up the lives of the Kashmiris during this pandemic, grappling to get up from a two-edged sword slash by the 3-year lockdown.
In order to repair the damage, they need to do an overreach and ease the Kashmiris’ pain so that the depression waves do not swallow up Kashmir.
As we say, a drop of water makes an ocean, so everything one does count for the greater good. It is only through hard work and efforts that the shadows will depart, no longer sink in the doldrums and light will shine once again in the Valley.