Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday informed the lok Sabha that Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has promised to earmark 50 acres of land as first installment for rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley. The Home Minister’s statement in the lok Sabha comes close on the heels of Sayeed’s recent denial about any such plan having been finalized.
Replying to a two-day debate on the Demand for Grants of his Ministry, Singh expressed the Government’s commitment to rehabilitate the exiled Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley. He said the Chief Minister has promised to earmark 50 acres of land as a first installment for this purpose.
Earlier reports had suggested that the Home Ministry is planning three-four “composite townships” of 2,500 families each for Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley, including in Srinagar and Anantnag, where half of the proposed flats are expected to be reserved for the community while the rest may be up for sale for Kashmiri Muslims. Few weeks ago Singh had declared that he had requested Sayeed to allot lands for the purpose after the duo met in Delhi.
Separatists in the Valley have slammed the move, claiming that “creating ghettos” would complicate matters and have urged the Pandits to return to their original homes. Sayeed on the floor of the assembly even said no such proposal was finalized and he would not allow “exclusive Israel kind” townships for Pandits.
The mass exodus of thousands of Kashmiri Pandits took place in 1989 when they were forced to leave their homes by the growing militancy in the valley. In his 75-minute reply, Singh also rejected the charge that the Narendra Modi Government was “soft” on separatists.
As leader of Congress Mallikarjun Kharge referred to hardcore separatist Masarat Alam, the Home Minister said he was put behind bars immediately after he led a pro-Pakistan protest.