In Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), May 1, 2025, passes not as International Labour Day but as another day of toil for the region’s unsung workers. Unlike much of the world, where this day honours the labourer’s struggle, J&K’s calendar, stripped of this holiday, reflects a stark indifference to its working class. The recent terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22, which killed 26 and crippled the tourism industry, has only deepened the misery of pony walas, taxi operators, shikara rowers, and countless informal workers. Yet, while politicians bicker over other holidays scrapped by the Lieutenant Governor’s administration, none shed tears for Labour Day’s absence or the labourers it should celebrate. It is as if J&K, a land of resilient workers, has no labourers to honour.
The Pahalgam attack, the deadliest in decades, has gutted J&K’s tourism sector, which accounts for 7-8% of the state’s GDP (₹18,500-21,200 crore annually). With 80-90% of bookings for May and June cancelled and 48 of 87 tourist sites shut amid fears of further violence, the economic fallout is catastrophic. Pony walas, who once guided pilgrims and tourists through Baisaran’s meadows, now face empty trails and mounting debts. Taxi operators, squeezed by fuel costs and unregulated competition, see their livelihoods vanish as tourists shun the Valley. Shikara rowers and handicraft sellers, dependent on visitors, are left stranded. These workers, many supporting families in a region with 30% unemployment (per 2024 CMIE data), bear the brunt of a crisis fueled by cross-border tensions and local neglect.
Yet, J&K’s political class remains eerily silent on Labour Day. The LG administration’s decision to exclude May 1 from the holiday list, while scrapping other regional observances, has sparked fierce debates over cultural and religious festivals. Politicians, from the National Conference to the PDP, have rallied against the erasure of Martyrs’ Day or Sheikh Abdullah’s birth anniversary, but none champion the cause of Labour Day. This omission exposes a troubling truth: the labourer’s plight is invisible to those in power. The same leaders who claim to represent Kashmir’s people ignore the pony wala’s hunger, the taxi driver’s despair, and the weaver’s empty loom. It is as if J&K’s workers, toiling in the shadow of violence and exploitation, do not exist.
The absence of Labour Day as a holiday is more than bureaucratic oversight; it is a symbol of systemic apathy. While the world pauses to celebrate workers, J&K’s labourers endure a political system that exploits their resilience yet offers no respite. The left’s rhetoric of worker rights dissolves into elite privilege, while the right’s focus on security and “development” bypasses the human cost of militarized borders and terror. The April attack, linked to groups like the “Kashmir Resistance,” has intensified cross-border cold wars, choking livelihoods dependent on peace. Yet, no leader demands a day to honour those who keep J&K’s economy alive.
This Labour Day, J&K’s workers deserve more than silence. The government must reinstate May 1 as a holiday, recognizing the dignity of labour in a region scarred by conflict. Immediate relief—loan waivers, subsidies, and compensation—is critical for those reeling from the tourism collapse. Security measures must balance safety with economic revival, reopening safe tourist sites to restore livelihoods. Political parties, so quick to fight for symbolic holidays, must redirect their energy to advocate for workers’ rights, ensuring social security and fair wages for the informal sector. Civil society, as seen in the valley-wide bandh post-Pahalgam, must amplify the labourer’s voice, reminding leaders that Kashmiriyat includes compassion for the toiling.
J&K’s labourers are not just victims of terror but of a system that forgets u. Their children’s tears, their unpaid debts, and their unending toil demand justice. This May 1, let us weep for the Labour Day that J&K ignores and commit to a future where its workers are seen, valued, and celebrated—not just in words, but in action. The pony wala, the taxi operator, and every labourer deserve a J&K that honours their sweat with dignity, not indifference.
