The Narendra Modi Government has flagged the return of Kashmiri Pandits to the Valley with “dignity, security and assured livelihood,” as an issue to lay special emphasis on during its tenure.
“Special efforts will be made to ensure that Kashmiri Pandits return to the land of their ancestors with full dignity, security and assured livelihood,” President Pranab Mukherjee said in his address to Parliament on Monday.
This is for the first time that the issue of Kashmiri Pandits was mentioned in a Presidential address.
Soon after the President’s announcement, several Kahmiri Pandits’ organisations welcomed Modi Government’s “commitment” to the long-standing promise. The BJP had mentioned return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri migrants to the Valley in its manifesto.
Kashmiri Pandit organisations have been fighting for the lakhs of people from their community who fled the Valley in 1990 due to ethnic cleansing during militancy. According to official data, 24,202 families migrated after militancy raised its ugly head in the Valley in 1990.
A total number of 38,119 families are registered with the Jammu and Kashmir Revenue and Relief Ministry till now.
The organisations,
however, put the number of total displaced people anywhere between six to
seven lakh.
Welcoming the Government’s move, they said it was for the first time that the plight of the displaced community had been flagged by the Central Government as its priority.
General Secretary of All India Kashmiri Samaj (AIKS) Romesh Raina said finally the serious issue of displacement of Kashmiri Pandits has got its rightful place in the mainstream politics of the country.
“Our request to the Government would be that while framing the blueprint for the return and rehabilitation of the community, they should take into consideration the aspirations and
needs of the displaced persons,” he said.