PDP MLA Waheed Parra says cancer deaths far exceed conflict fatalities in J&K

Srinagar, January 21: People’s Democratic Party (PDP) legislator Waheed Parra on Wednesday said cancer had claimed far more lives in Jammu and Kashmir than decades of conflict, calling it a major public health and governance crisis that required urgent government intervention.

In a social media post, Parra said around 67,000 people had died of cancer in the past five years, compared with a similar number of deaths attributed to conflict over the last three decades. “Cancer is killing 300 times more people than conflict in J&K,” he said.

Parra, who represents Pulwama in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, said families—particularly from poorer backgrounds—were being forced to sell land and other assets to seek treatment outside the region due to the burden on local hospitals and limited treatment capacity.

“The biggest battles are often the ones we don’t see,” Parra said, urging the government to treat the issue as both a health emergency and a governance failure.

Tagging Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in his post, Parra said the administration must take immediate steps to strengthen cancer care infrastructure within Jammu and Kashmir to prevent avoidable deaths and financial distress among patients’ families.