SRINAGAR: Peoples Democratic Party MLA Waheed Ur Rehman Para has moved a notice in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly seeking introduction of a private member’s bill aimed at reconciliation, trauma healing and restoration of dignity for people affected by decades of violence in the Union Territory.
The proposed legislation, titled the Jammu and Kashmir Reconciliation, Trauma Healing and Dignity Bill, 2026, is scheduled to be taken up during the Budget Session of the Assembly beginning February 2, according to the notice submitted to the Assembly Secretariat.
The Bill seeks to establish a statutory framework for trauma healing, psychosocial rehabilitation, dignity restoration and restorative dialogue, to be delivered through existing public health institutions in alignment with the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017. It notes that Jammu and Kashmir has experienced prolonged violence, armed conflict, terrorism and political instability, leading to widespread psychological trauma, displacement, grief and erosion of social trust.
While acknowledging that incidents of violence have declined since 2019, the Bill argues that the absence of violence alone is insufficient to secure durable peace. It states that peace must also enable individuals, communities and institutions to live with dignity and resolve grievances through peaceful and restorative means.
The proposed legislation highlights that the human costs of prolonged conflict have been borne unevenly by different sections of society, including Kashmiri Muslims, Kashmiri Pandits and members of the security forces. It warns that unaddressed psychological trauma undermines dignity and contributes to cycles of fear, mistrust and inter-generational harm.
Invoking Article 21 of the Constitution, the Bill underlines that the right to life includes the right to live with dignity, mental well-being and psychological integrity. It calls for a complementary statutory mechanism to specifically address conflict-induced psychosocial trauma in Jammu and Kashmir.
Under the proposal, the Department of Health would act as the nodal authority for implementation. All services would be voluntary, confidential and based on informed consent, and would 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.
The legislation specifies that all measures would be humanitarian, non-political and non-punitive, with safeguards to protect beneficiaries from stigma, discrimination or adverse consequences arising from seeking support.
A financial memorandum attached to the Bill estimates an initial expenditure of Rs 50 crore for strengthening mental health services, training professionals, implementing community-based programmes and monitoring outcomes. The expenditure is proposed to be met through budgetary allocations of the Union Territory government.
