Srinagar, January 21, 2026 : Senior Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader and Pulwama MLA Waheed-ur-Rehman Para on Wednesday raised serious concern over the rising cancer burden in Jammu and Kashmir, stating that the disease has claimed nearly 300 times more lives than conflict-related violence in the region.
In a post on microblogging platform X, Parra said that around 67,000 people have died due to cancer in the last five years, while a comparable number of deaths occurred due to conflict over nearly three decades in the Union Territory.
“The biggest battles are often the ones we don’t see,” Parra wrote, highlighting the silent health crisis unfolding across Jammu and Kashmir.
He said families—especially the poor—are being pushed to the brink, forced to sell land and other assets to seek treatment outside Kashmir due to overburdened hospitals and inadequate cancer care facilities within the region.
Terming the situation a grave health and governance crisis, the PDP leader urged the government to take urgent and concrete measures to strengthen cancer diagnosis, treatment infrastructure and patient support systems in Jammu and Kashmir.
“This crisis cannot be ignored,” Parra said, tagging Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and calling for immediate policy intervention to address the growing cancer burden and prevent further loss of lives.
