Resumption of Valley migrants’ registration worries Pandits

Sumit Hakhoo

Tribune News Service

Jammu, February 20

The decision of the PDP-BJP coalition government to resume registration of people from the Valley as “migrants” by the Relief Organisation in Jammu has sent confusing signals about the intention of the government by reopening the process stopped way back in 2008 to prevent exodus of minorities.

Majority of the representative organisations of Pandits not only see it as a “conspiracy” to allow registration of political activists as “migrants”, but also as prompting the remaining 3,000 Pandits living in the Valley to migrate as security situation is fast deteriorating in Kashmir.

About 3.50 lakh Hindus were forced to leave Kashmir in 1990 following the eruption of separatist insurgency. Of them nearly 19,000 are getting relief assistance, which include cash and free ration. However, during the last two decades, more than 3,000 people, mostly activists of political parties, which include the National Conference (NC), Congress and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), have been registered as “political migrants” and get relief on the basis of threat perception to them.

As per the notification issued by the government, a screening committee constituted to “recommend the registration of bona fide migrants who have migrated or may migrate due to threat to them or to their families from the militants” is quite contradictory to the stance of the government —both in New Delhi and J&K — that a detailed plan is being formulated to resettle Pandits, who were forced to leave in 1989-90 following the eruption of armed insurgency, back in the Valley.

When contacted, Relief Commissioner (M) YP Suman refused to comment on the issue and said only the screening committee could reveal any detail.

“With each passing year, the hope of returning to our homes is fading. It seems the government has accepted the fact that remaining Pandits will be forced to flee the Valley by militants or they are trying to settle political activists in Jammu under a well-planned conspiracy. This is quite a serious issue and the political leadership should come clean on it,”said Ravinder Raina, president, All State Kashmiri Pandit Conference (ASKPC).

The Centre had stopped registering displaced Kashmiris after 2008 in order to discourage further migrations from Kashmir. Last year the Union Home Ministry had asked the state government to conduct a fresh scrutiny of “political migrants” from Kashmir who are getting relief benefits provided to the displaced people, but this new order is a surprise for people.

The Panun Kashmir (PK), a frontal organisation of displaced Pandits, has alleged that fresh registration has the potential to open floodgates for imposters masquerading as “migrants” to settle in Jammu. “This goes against the claims of the government that normalcy is returning to the Valley and process will be started to resettle the community back in Kashmir, said Ashwani Chrangoo, president, PK.

The year 2016 was worst period for the minority community as Pandits were subjected to concentrated attacks by rampaging mobs across the Valley following the elimination of terrorist Burhan Wani in an encounter by security forces at Kokarnag in July last year. Later there were several attacks on the isolated habitations of Hindus while transit camp, housing Prime Minister package employees at Haal, (Pulwama), Vessu, (Anantnag) and Nutnusa (Kupwara), were attacked several times.