Shopian: The killing of three non-locals including truck drivers and a trader within three days has created fear among non-local labourers and apple traders in Shopian.
Many non-locals have left or begun to leave Kashmir after the latest killing in Trenz Village of Shopian.
A truck driver hailing from Punjab was killed and an apple trader accompanying him was critically injured in Trenz village on Wednesday evening. Earlier in the day, a non-local labourer was killed in a village of Pulwama district.
On Monday, a truck driver was killed by unknown gunmen and his truck set on fire by unknown gunmen in Shirmal area of Shopian.
Many truck drivers who had arrived in Valley for ferrying apples were seen leaving Kashmir with empty trucks.
A local resident from Chitragam Kalan village of Shopian said that police arrived in the area and told non-local truck drivers to leave.
A resident from Trenz said that police advised non-local traders and truck drivers to leave the area after fresh killings of non-locals by unknown gunmen.
Locals said that many traders and drivers left for their homes on Wednesday night soon after the news of killing of a Punjab based trader spread in the area.
“We are very fearful about our safety here after the recent killings and we hope the situation will normalise very soon and we would be available to work or ferrying apple from here,” Muhammad Waris, a truck driver from Rajistan said.
Another driver from Punjab said that they had come to earn livelihood but unfortunately the situation has worsened.
Orchardists say that the districts were already facing acute shortage of trucks for ferrying apple.

Raashid Hassan