For decades, the pain of terror victims in Kashmir remained invisible. Not because it was unknown, but because it was ignored. Families torn apart by terrorism were forced to wait—not months, not years—but decades for what should have been delivered immediately: justice, dignity, and rehabilitation.
The recent appointment of next of kin of terror victims to government jobs is welcome, but it also raises an uncomfortable question. Why did it take so long? Successive regimes failed these families at every level.
After the killings, there was silence from the system. No urgency, no priority, no sustained effort to rehabilitate those who lost breadwinners to terror. Widows struggled alone, children grew up without parents, and families slipped into poverty while their cases gathered dust in government files. This was not a failure of resources. It was a failure of intent.
At a time when terrorism was acknowledged as a national security challenge, the human cost of that terror was pushed to the margins. Shockingly, while families of victims waited for relief, elements linked to the terror ecosystem found space, influence, and in some cases even patronage. The real victims were left to fend for themselves. Justice delayed is not just justice denied—it is injustice multiplied. Every year of delay meant lost education, lost opportunities, and deep psychological scars.
Children who should have been protected by the state instead grew up learning how to survive without it. The question must be asked: why were terror victims not treated as the highest priority? Why were their files not fast-tracked? Why did it take policy shifts decades later to acknowledge their suffering? This delay reflects a systemic apathy, where fear, politics, and misplaced sensitivities overshadowed moral responsibility.
A state that fails to stand with victims emboldens perpetrators and deepens public mistrust. While recent steps may restore some dignity, they cannot erase years of neglect. Rehabilitation is not charity; it is the state’s obligation. Terror victims should never have had to fight the system to prove their worth or their pain. As a society, this moment must be one of reflection, not self-congratulation.
The real lesson is clear: when victims are ignored, justice collapses. And when justice collapses, the wounds of conflict only deepen. The families who waited decades did not just lose loved ones—they lost time, security, and faith. Ensuring this never happens again is the true test of governance.
