New Delhi: The Union minister for Textiles, Mr Kashiram Rana’s assertion that his ministry will attempt to lift the ban on shahtoosh weaving has come as a shock to wildlife conservationists who have been campaigning for a stricter ban on shahtoosh weaving in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.Mr Rana had, on June 29, asserted at a press conference in Srinagar that the ban on shahtoosh trade was due to some “misunderstanding” at the global level and that his ministry would take up the issue for liftingthe ban with the law, commerce, and envrionment and forests ministries. He said he had discussed the issue with the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry representatives. Mr Rana also said that his ministry was preparing a project for setting up a weavers’ service centre in the state.

Reacting to the statement made by the minister, Mr Aniruddha Mookerjee, Director Programmes, Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), said “This is a shocking statement for a Union minister to make. Given the status of this animal and the fact that it is given highest protection by the laws of three countries: China, where it is found and killed; Nepal, through which it is smuggled; and India where the wool is woven. The Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) lists the Chiru or the Tibetan antelope in Appendix I, banning international trade completely. So there can be no misunderstanding on this.”

He said WTI has conducted a census of workers in the Kashmir valley and found the number of artisans involved in all stages of production of shahtoosh shawls to be less than 15,000. “More than 60 per cent of these workers want to opt out of shahtoosh because its market is shrinking, raw material is difficult to get, and the fact that it is illegal even in the state of Jammu and Kashmir according to a decision of its high court. Their preferred medium is pashmina according to the data coming out of this survey, whose report will be made public soon,” he said.

WTI, which is in the process of developing alternative livelihood strategies for the shahtoosh workers, feels that the answer lies in giving Kashmir pashmina, the unique place it deserves. Pashmina shawls, machine-made or otherwise, produced in any part of the world, other than Kashmir, are sold as Kashmir pashmina, competing with the real exquisite Kashmir handmade pashmina shawls, driving their value down. “We need to give Kashmir pashmina, an appellation mark to give it a special niche in the market by ensuring that only what is produced in Kashmir is called by that name. We have suggested that this name be Kashmina, i.e. Kashmir pashmina,” he said.