Fresh threat letters linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba have raised security concerns for nearly 7,000 Kashmiri Pandit employees working in Jammu and Kashmir. The threats, issued by the Lashkar-linked United Liberation Council (ULC/ULF), have warned employees to leave their jobs or face fatal consequences. The latest letters also allegedly exposed private phone numbers, home addresses and vehicle registration details online.

A Mumbai-based Kashmiri Pandit with family in Srinagar compared the latest threats with the situation in the 1990s. "This was their modus operandi even in the 1990s, except there was no internet. They had lists typed out and stuck on walls." The person said the fresh threats have again created fear among families with relatives living in the Valley.

India Today Digital spoke to the Kashmiri Pandits Association (KPA), the All India Kashmiri Samaj (AIKS), and several Kashmiri Pandits in Mumbai and Delhi who have families in Kashmir. Officials from KPA and AIKS declined to comment. Community members, however, said threats against Kashmiri Pandits have increased in recent months.

A Kashmiri Pandit lawyer based in Delhi, whose family lives in Jammu, said the latest threat targets government employees, but the wider security concern remains. "My family is not among the government employees. We are a business family, and the threat is directed at government employees this time. But that doesn't discount the fact that it is not safe for Kashmiri Pandits in Kashmir. These threats are pretty common in the valley," the lawyer told India Today Digital.

On September 7, community voice Saba Kaul described the situation as a "massive and alarming security crisis" in a post on X. Kaul alleged that the ULC had directly threatened Kashmiri Pandit PM Package employees. The post claimed that their private phone numbers, home addresses and vehicle registration details had been leaked online. The latest warning stated that employees should quit their jobs or face fatal consequences.

Kaul urged the Union Home Ministry and the Lieutenant Governor's office in Jammu and Kashmir to investigate the alleged data leak. She also called for better security for employees working on the ground.

Rakesh Handoo, who identifies himself as a PM Package employee and activist associated with the All PM Package Employees Association in Kashmir Valley, raised similar concerns. In a complaint dated September 6, he approached Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and the J&K Police Cyber Crime Wing. He sought an FIR over a September 5 threat letter attributed to the ULC.

Handoo said the letter threatened non-local employees and warned that they could be targeted regardless of their gender or status. He referred to a line in the letter that said, "Body bags will be sent to their native places".

The PM Package for Kashmiri migrants was introduced in 2008 as part of the Centre's return and rehabilitation efforts. The package included 3,000 state government jobs funded by the Centre. In November 2015, the Centre approved another 3,000 state government jobs under the Prime Minister's Development Package. This took the total number of centrally funded posts under the two schemes to 6,000. The latest threats, however, refer to around 7,000 Kashmiri Pandit employees.

A senior journalist based in Srinagar said the threat letters were first released on the dark web. They were later circulated through WhatsApp and Telegram. Handoo said around 6,000 PM Package employees have worked in the Valley for nearly 15 years. Many of them live in rented houses.

Handoo also raised concerns about accommodation for these employees. He said 6,042 quarters were constructed at Zewan in Srinagar, Mattan in Anantnag and Veerinag in Anantnag. However, only around 800 quarters had been allotted over three years. He called for an immediate security audit of transit colonies, rented accommodation and demanded an investigation into the source of the threats and a policy protecting the "Right to Return and Rehabilitation" along with job security and land rights.

The latest threat came after several similar warnings issued over the past month. On September 1, the ULC issued what was described as its fifth threat letter against Kashmiri Pandits within a month. The letter claimed that the administration was considering providing light weapons to migrant Pandit employees after a security meeting chaired by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.

On September 7, Handoo shared photographs of transit accommodation for minority PM Package employees at Noa on Chowgam Road in Kulgam. He alleged that some of the accommodation was in isolated and vulnerable locations. He also claimed that some buildings lacked proper roads and drainage, remained unfinished and did not have adequate security or fencing.

Handoo questioned the government's claims of normalcy in Kashmir. "For whom is this normalcy?" he asked. He said normalcy for an employee facing a threat should mean having a safe home, a secure colony and completed accommodation.

The concerns are not limited to the latest letter. In a threat dated August 7, the ULC claimed to have details of Kashmiri Pandit officials, their families, locations and workplaces. The group also warned that employees could be targeted even after moving to Jammu. A senior Srinagar-based journalist had earlier confirmed the authenticity of the letter to India Today Digital.

The August letter specifically named six government employees. Their personal details were not published. Panun Kashmir, a group representing displaced Kashmiri Pandits, demanded an immediate threat assessment for those employees and their families. Its convenor, Agnishekhar, called the publication of names and contact details along with threats a matter of "grave concern."

The issue has also triggered a political dispute. National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah questioned why Kashmiri Pandit employees were facing threats while senior Hindu officers working in Jammu and Kashmir were not. He alleged that the threats could be part of a "conspiracy by the Lieutenant Governor-led administration to create fear and delay the restoration of statehood."

The BJP rejected Abdullah's claim. The national media co-in charge Pradeep Bhandari accused him of offering "soft support" to terrorists and said his remarks undermined the suffering of Kashmiri Hindus.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has taken a different view. After the first threat emerged in August, he said targeted killings of minorities had taken place and warned that the latest threat should not be ignored. He called for action against those responsible and adequate security for Kashmiri Pandit employees. After the second letter, Omar again said security and intelligence agencies must identify the source of the threats.

Kashmiri Pandits were forced to leave the Valley during the rise of armed insurgency in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Targeted killings, threats and warnings from local mosques forced them to migrate. Many moved to Jammu and other parts of India, leaving behind homes and properties.

The PM Package later sought to support their return through government employment. However, the 2022 killing of Kashmiri Pandit employee Rahul Bhat inside the Tehsil Office in Chadoora remains a major reminder of the risks faced by those returning to work in the Valley. The latest threats have once again raised questions over the safety of Kashmiri Pandit employees and the government's rehabilitation policy.

For the administration, the challenge now goes beyond providing jobs and accommodation. It must ensure that Kashmiri Pandit employees feel safe while living and working in the Valley. The success of the rehabilitation programme will ultimately depend not only on the number of jobs or houses provided, but also on whether those returning to the Valley can live without the fear of becoming targets.