PDP MLA’s private member bill seeks reconciliation, trauma healing due to decades of violence in J-K

The proposed legislation underlines that the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution includes the right to live with dignity, mental well-being and psychological integrity, and argues for a complementary statutory framework to address conflict-induced psychosocial trauma in Jammu and Kashmir.

PDP MLA Waheed Ur Rehman Para has given a notice to move a private member bill seeking to recognise and address psychological trauma and social harm arising from decades of violence and instability in Jammu and Kashmir during the Budget Session scheduled to begin on February 2. According to the notice submitted to the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Secretariat, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) legislator from Pulwama has proposed the ''Jammu and Kashmir Reconciliation, Trauma Healing and Dignity Bill, 2026. The proposed legislation aims to establish a statutory framework for trauma healing, psychosocial rehabilitation and restorative dialogue through existing public health institutions, while operating in harmony with the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017. As per the Bill, Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed prolonged violence, armed conflict, terrorism and political instability, leading to widespread psychological trauma, displacement, grief and erosion of social trust. It notes that while incidents of violence have declined since 2019, there is a need for humane and forward-looking measures to consolidate peace. The Bill states that peace is not merely the absence of violence but the ability of individuals, communities and institutions to address grievances through peaceful and restorative means. It further notes that prolonged exposure to violence has imposed differentiated human costs on various sections of society, including Kashmiri Muslims, Kashmiri Pandits and members of the security forces, and that unaddressed psychological trauma perpetuates cycles of fear, mistrust and inter-generational harm. The proposed legislation underlines that the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution includes the right to live with dignity, mental well-being and psychological integrity, and argues for a complementary statutory framework to address conflict-induced psychosocial trauma in Jammu and Kashmir. ''It is expedient to enact a humane, rights-based, evidence-driven, non-partisan, and non-coercive legal framework for trauma healing, reconciliation, psychosocial well-being, and the consolidation of stability and sustainable peace in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir,'' the Bill demanded. It said the J-K Department of Health will be the nodal authority for its implementation. Services under the proposed law will be voluntary, confidential and based on informed consent, and will be delivered by qualified mental health professionals and trained personnel. The Bill provides for counselling, grief and trauma recovery programmes, family and community-based interventions, and professionally facilitated restorative dialogue to promote healing and social cohesion. It states that all measures under the proposed law will be humanitarian, non-political and non-punitive, and that affected persons will be protected from stigma, discrimination or adverse consequences for seeking support. A financial memorandum attached to the Bill estimates an initial expenditure of Rs 50 crore for strengthening mental health services, training professionals, community-based programmes and monitoring, to be met through budgetary allocations of the Union Territory government.

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