Table of Contents
- A recent study conducted jointly by-
- Professor Dheeraj Sharma, director of the Indian Institute of Management, Rohtak and Professor Farah Arif, of the Lahore University of Management Sciences, Pakistan,
- Revealed interesting facts about life in Jammu & Kashmir and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.
- As part of their research, they surveyed a random sample of 1,425 individuals across
- Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) and Gilgit-Baltistan under Pakistani administration, and Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir in India.
- 396 from PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan.
- 1029 from Kashmir, Jammu, and Ladakh.
Young Generation
- With both countries having predominantly young populations,
- The survey focused largely on those in their twenties and thirties – the generation which will shape the future of these regions.
Questions asked
- Participants were asked about how satisfied they were with their lives, and whether they believed they were better off than their parent’s generation.
- In addition, the study aimed to assess whether the respondents were happy in their homeland, or intended to leave for better pastures in the future.
- The respondents were also questioned to understand their attitude to their government, and
- Whether their expectations in terms of education, infrastructure and healthcare were met.
Findings of the study
- A whopping four out of five people in both the Ladakh and Jammu regions, and nearly seven in every ten in Kashmir stated,
- They were happy with their lives, and believed life was better than it had been in their parents’ generation.
- Nearly three in four people were pleased with the governance of their region,
- Particularly the educational institutions, healthcare facilities, infrastructure development and employment opportunities available to them.
In POK
- On the other hand, every second person in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK), and four out of every five persons in Gilgit Baltistan reported that
- They were not satisfied with their lives.
- Almost the same number stated that life had been better in their parents’ generation, and had deteriorated since.
- More than half the people in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir were not happy with their government.
- In Gilgit-Baltistan, this was even higher – seven in every ten were unhappy with their government here.
- Perhaps not surprisingly, over half the people unhesitatingly stated that they intended to move out of their homeland, in search of a better life for themselves and their children.
- There is a scarcity of employment opportunities and worsening living conditions compared to the previous generation.
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