Srinagar, Dec. 28 -- Peoples Conference chief Sajad Lone on Saturday said "harassment" of Kashmiris in some parts of the country should be treated as a matter of national security, and urged the lieutenant governor and chief minister to intervene in the matter. "This behaviour against Kashmiris in the rest of the country should not to be taken lightly. This is a matter of national security," Lone, the MLA from Handwara, said at a press conference here. His remarks came in the wake of the alleged assault on a Kashmir trader, a shawl seller, in Uttarakhand. Lone appealed to the Prime Minister and the Union home minister to treat the issue as a matter of national security. The legislator from Handwara said he was compelled to speak after being approached by numerous families from his constituency who narrated disturbing experiences faced by their relatives outside Jammu and Kashmir. "If in our own country we are subjected to this kind of behaviour, then one has to ask a painful question-what is our status in this country?" he said while addressing a press conference. Lone underlined that migration for work is not a recent phenomenon. "In districts like mine, at least 25 to 35 percent of the male population has been living and working in other parts of India for the last fifty to sixty years. Many have purchased homes and built stable lives there," he said, adding that these people played a silent but decisive role in strengthening India's internal cohesion. Describing recent official action as inadequate, Lone said... "Arresting two individuals when there are hundreds or thousands of incidents is like a drop in the ocean." Lone urged the Union government to act decisively against those targeting Kashmiris. "The L-G is responsible for law and order, and this can have an impact on it. It is time he picks up a phone and talks to the chief ministers (of respective states). Chief minister Omar Abdullah should do the same. Please call the state administrations and say that such excesses should not take place against the people of Kashmir," he said. While expressing concern, Lone also acknowledged solidarity where it existed. He praised the people of Punjab, saying, "They tell us, 'This is your home.' I salute them."...