A good Kashmiri gesture

A unique resolution promising a dignified return of Kashmiri migrants to the Valley — the first of its kind — has been passed in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly expressing the collective will of  the House. It is heartening that all parties jointly undertook this mission which had been eluding the displaced Kashmiri Pandits, Sikhs and Muslims for the past 27 years. They were forced to leave the troubled Valley as militancy targeted the non-Muslims as well as “India sympathisers”. The resolution was proposed by National Conference leader Omar Abdullah and adopted by voice vote by representatives of all major parties — the NC, the Congress, the PDP and the BJP. 

Whenever in power after 1996 these parties have been unable to restore peace despite making  high-pitched  declarations of rehabilitating the migrants in the land of their ancestors. It was not just a coincidence that whenever there was a serious talk or move to facilitate the return of Pandits to the Valley, the community suffered reprisals from militants. Since the security situation was not conducive for their return, the resettlement plans were abandoned midway and a satellite colony was instead built in Jammu. The relief amount was also enhanced to keep them wherever they had relocated. Since the security situation has still not improved, the resolution is just an expression of good intentions of the House. Its implementation is  a challenge. The trust of the pre-militancy era has got eroded. The locals realise the migrants' return means greater competition in the job market. The composite ethos that once governed inter-community relations have been replaced by an “us-versus-they” narrative.  

The Valley has shown that whenever trouble erupts all political groups join the anti-Delhi chorus and the real issues get lost in the din. In 2016 Kashmiri migrants were not accepted even in transit camps. Warnings were issued against their segregation from the majority community. That itself posed a problem. The leadership of the migrants too does not have any definitive plan of their return. The spirit of the assembly resolution is appreciable but the fear persists that it might turn out to be yet another illusion.