Onlykashmir.in News Desk
The Jammu and Kashmir Government has approved the release of ₹41.16 lakh for the long pending LPG distributorship allotted to 2016 pellet victim Insha Mushtaq, bringing a rehabilitation measure that had remained stalled for years closer to completion.
Announcing the decision, Cabinet Minister Satish Sharma said the financial approval had been accorded under the leadership of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. “Justice delayed but not denied. Insha Mushtaq lost her eyesight to pellets in 2016; her LPG distributorship was sanctioned in 2018 but left incomplete. Under HCM Omar Abdullah, we’ve approved release of the ₹41.16 lakh balance to finally take this case to its logical conclusion,” the Minister said.
Insha Mushtaq, a resident of Sedow village in Shopian district, lost her eyesight during the unrest of 2016 after sustaining pellet injuries. Her case drew widespread national attention at the time and went on to become one of the most prominent rehabilitation cases arising from that period of violence in the Valley, coming to symbolise the human cost of the use of pellet guns for crowd control.
The LPG distributorship was sanctioned in 2018 as part of a broader package of rehabilitation measures announced for pellet victims by the then administration. However, the project remained incomplete over the years due to pending financial requirements, leaving the intended beneficiary without the livelihood support the scheme was meant to provide. The latest approval is expected to facilitate the operationalisation of the distributorship, allowing Insha Mushtaq to finally begin functioning as its proprietor.
The move is being presented by the government as part of its broader push to clear long pending welfare and rehabilitation cases inherited from previous administrations. Officials say several such cases involving victims of the 2016 unrest remain under review, with the government keen to demonstrate that pending commitments are being honoured. The decision is likely to be welcomed by civil society groups and rights advocates who have for years flagged the delay in operationalising Insha Mushtaq’s distributorship as emblematic of bureaucratic apathy toward victims of the unrest, even as questions remain over how many similar cases are still awaiting resolution across the Valley.
