POINT TAKEN
The holy month of Ramadan demands patience—from those fasting, and from those entrusted with public service. Yet, as iftaar approaches each evening, Srinagar’s roads tell a different story. Two hours before sunset, when families rush home and markets swell with last-minute shoppers, traffic police are conspicuously absent from the intersections that need them most. This dereliction turns a spiritual journey into a secular nightmare. Nowhere is the failure more glaring than at security barricades—those permanent fixtures of our conflict landscape. During Ramadan, when mercy is meant to soften all hearts, the government must show flexibility. Barricades that remain clamped shut through peak iftaar hours are not security measures; they are obstacles to worship, to family, to community. The solution requires no great policy innovation. Deploy traffic personnel where they are needed. Open barricades during designated hours. Trust that a month of compassion can accommodate both safety and sanity. The authorities exist to serve the people, not the other way around. It is time they remembered.
