Assembly resolution fails to impress displaced Pandits

Sumit Hakhoo

Tribune News Service

Jammu, January 24

The series of statements by political parties regarding the rehabilitation of displaced Kashmiri Hindus and the recent passage of resolution by the Legislative Assembly for creating a ‘conducive atmosphere’ for their return to the Valley has evoked little enthusiasm among Pandits.

The slogan of the community being an inseparable part of Kashmir has been repeatedly raised by mainstream political parties during 27 years of Pandits’ exile from their homeland, but no sincere efforts have been made to start processes, mainly because of security factors and opposition from radical elements.

It was for the first time that such a resolution was passed by both the Houses of the state Legislature.

Though Hurriyat Conference has been parroting view that Pandits are a part of the society, but they have opposed any move to create composite township-cum-transit camps, proposed by the government to allow phase-wise resettlement.

The idea first proposed in 2014 was to create housing societies so that the community can start life afresh as they cannot live in villages of their origin because the property was either damaged or disposed off under distress sale.

On several occasions, the successive governments had backtracked from its plans to rehabilitate the community. Even the Distress Sales Act passed by the Legislative Assembly in 1996 during the tenure of Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah to safeguard the properties of Pandits has not been enforced properly.

In the past seven years, since 2,000 youths returned to the Valley under the Prime Minister’s employment package announced by the Congress-led UPA government in 2008, no major initiative has been taken to implement the Confidence Building Measures.

“The community welcomes the concern expressed by political parties. But what is the government planning to do? The Central Government dropped the idea of township in April, 2015, as separatists had threatened violence and so far, no new plan has been announced,” said Dr TK Bhat, general secretary, All State Kashmiri Pandit Conference (ASKPC).

Another fear factor for Pandits is the revival of terrorism and radicalisation of youngsters. The new generation of militants is influenced by pan-Islamic Jehadi world view plunging the Valley in another bloody phase of violence.

The rehabilitation plans announced in 2004-05, 2008 and 2014-15 was built on the narrative that separatists will support the process, but they have not shown willingness to facilitate its implementation on the pretext of demographic change if the community is settled at one place. During the five-month-long unrest, transit camps were attacked and damaged by stone-throwers.

“There is no need to oppose separate neighbourhood because with time there will be interdependence of majority and minority communities. All steps should be taken to encourage the Pandits to return and ensure their sense of security. The civic society has to create situation too,” said Wahajat Habibullah, former Chief Information Commissioner. He was also a part of peace delegation which recently visited Kashmir.

Year 2016 which saw widespread violence in Kashmir also rattled Pandits who were targeted by the stone-throwers. It was after years that the community had to face the rampaging stone-throwers who targeted transit camps housing the PM’s package employees.

“If the government is sincere, it should first implement the 2008 package. Except filling 2,000 vacancies, no help has been extended to ensure their resettlement in Kashmir. Youths continue to live in makeshift huts with poor facilities while the work on the multi-storey buildings to house them is going on at snail’s pace,” said RK Bhat, president, Youth All India Kashmiri Samaj.