Srinagar, April 30 -- By Shabir Ahmad Ganaie

At first light in Shopian, a young father steps out of his home before his children wake up. Morning spares him the hardest question they ask each evening: "Did you find work today?"

Near the town's clock tower, he joins dozens of men waiting for a contractor to arrive. Some men secure a day's work, others return home empty-handed by noon.

That scene repeats itself every day in Kashmir. Labour remains visible in every market, orchard, roadside project and construction site. Protection for workers remains painfully absent.

May Day comes every year with speeches, banners and official statements praising workers as the backbone of society. But Kashmiri labourers deserve more than ceremonial pr...