In continuation of their divergent stands on key issues of governance in Jammu & Kashmir, alliance partners PDP and BJP on Thursday spoke in different voices — this time on the resettlement of Kashmiri Pandits. Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has backtracked on his promise to set up special clusters to resettle the displaced minority community in the Valley while the Centre asserted that there will be no change in its stand in the matter.
The issue of resettlement of exiled Kashmiri Pandits after a gap of 25 long years has thus once again hit a major roadblock with Mufti toeing the separatists’ line against creating separate clusters for resettlement of the displaced community.
After he was isolated by the majority of stakeholders in the Valley, both from the mainstream and the separatist club, Mufti used the floor of the House on Thursday to set the record straight.
During the question hour when some of the members raised the issue of creating separate clusters for the migrant community, Mufti himself intervened to clarify that the State Government does not favour any clustering for return of Kashmiri Pandits but wanted their complete reintegration as part of the Kashmiri society.
“They (those favouring composite clusters) should not mix it with human problem. I want to request you that a message should go from this House that there should be no separate clusters for Kashmiri Pandits the way Israel has set up... There will be no such clusters for them. If we have to
live we will live shoulder to shoulder with their brethren in Kashmir,” Mufti asserted.
As per the reports gathered from interactions with the Kashmir Pandits only 10 to 15 per cent of them will choose to return to the Valley, Mufti told the Jammu & Kashmir Assembly and claimed that his Government endeavoured to create a conducive atmosphere for those who are willing to return.
“They (Kashmiri Pandits) are well placed in various parts of the country and abroad... If we do something on the matter, they will come to the Valley on seasonal pattern. They are good and highly qualified people. Before this (militancy erupted) KPs have also gone out of Kashmir. They included PN Haksar, PN Dhar, Dr U Kaul, Dr Sameer Kaul. They need bigger canvas and move out of the Valley,” he said.
“Some Pandit organisations have also stated that a majority of the migrated community will feel vulnerable if they return to the Valley and live in exclusive zones,” he added.
He said the Pandit community provides diversity to the multi-religious ethos of Kashmiri society and the focus of the Government will be to bring them back to their homes.
In New Delhi, reacting to Mufti’s statements, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said: “I don’t want to go into details. Whatever decision was taken by the Central Government for the rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits...The decision remains the same. We had a good talk with the Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir (on this issue).”
“Don’t worry we are concerned about the security of Kashmiri Pandits and the people living there. We will prepare an action plan keeping in mind all these things,” Singh told reporters on the sidelines of a CRPF function.
On Tuesday at a meeting in New Delhi, Singh had asked Mufti to provide land in the State for composite townships for Kashmiri Pandits. The Chief Minister assured the Home Minister that the State Government will acquire and provide land at the earliest for composite townships in the Valley. But, later on, Mufti reneged on his promises following protests by the separatists on the issue.
Clarifying his Government’s stand in the Assembly, Mufti claimed, “I have told the Union Home Minister that the KPs cannot live separately in Kashmir Valley and they will have to live together.”
Mufti denied reports that the State Government has acquired any land for setting up any exclusive enclaves. Certain reports had earlier claimed that the State Government had identified major chunks of land at different locations to raise separate clusters for the migrant community.
Amid the continuing controversy, the BJP advocated “patience” in addressing the issue, saying, “Centre and J&K both propose townships for Pandits. Composite or exclusive is the issue. As per CMP the community should be consulted,” BJP general secretary Ram Madhav said.
Madhav said the common minimum programme (CMP) of the PDP-BJP alliance Government in Jammu & Kashmir has stated that the process of resettlement of displaced Kashmiri Pandits would begin by “taking the community into confidence”
At present, there are about 62,000 registered Kashmiri migrant families in the country, who have moved from the Valley to Jammu, Delhi and other parts of the country after the State was hit by Islamist terror in 1989.
The Centre has earmarked Rs 580 crore in the Budget for ongoing fiscal for rehabilitation of Kashmiri migrants.