Syed Altaf Bukhari expresses grave concern over frequent incidents of suicides

Early Times Report SRINAGAR, Sept 7: Apni Party President Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari on Monday expressed grave concern over the frequent incidents of suicide in J&K and called for a coordinated effort involving mental health professionals, experts, and key stakeholders to understand the root causes and develop an effective and comprehensive response. Taking to the microblogging site X, Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari referred to the recent incidents of suicide and mysterious deaths, and said the frequency of such incidents could no longer be dismissed as a series of isolated tragedies. He stressed on the need to examine the social, economic and psychological factors driving people towards despair. "These are not isolated incidents. Hardly a day passes without reports of suicides, suspected suicides and mysterious deaths from different parts of Jammu and Kashmir. Each incident represents a human life lost, and a family shattered," he wrote. "Behind these tragedies lies a painful reality. A large section of our population is struggling with unemployment, poverty, inflation, drug abuse, social injustice, uncertainty and the growing pressure of everyday life are pushing many people towards despair. Our youth are facing enormous uncertainty about their future," he added. Calling for the issue to be addressed beyond political and partisan considerations, Apni Party chief urged the government to take the lead in bringing together professionals and institutions from across society to understand the causes of the crisis and formulate a sustained response. He said, "On these grave issues, we must rise above political interests and party lines and confront this crisis collectively. The government must take the lead and urgently bring together mental-health professionals, sociologists, educators, civil society organisations, religious and community leaders, youth representatives and other stakeholders to understand the underlying causes and develop a comprehensive response." "We cannot remain mere spectators while people around us continue to suffer. We must act-and we must act now," the post reads.