Kashmiri migrants seek resumption of monthly relief payment, return to Valley

Anshita Mehra

New Delhi, July 19

Kashmiri migrants who have been residing in Delhi for over three decades staged a protest at Jantar Mantar on Friday, demanding the resumption of their monthly relief payments and a pathway to return to their homeland in Kashmir. Displaced during the rise of Islamic militancy in the 1990s, these migrants have long sought resolution to their grievances.

According to an order from the Delhi Lieutenant-Governor in October 2023, the monthly relief amount was increased to Rs 27,000 from Rs 10,000. However, the protesters claimed that this amount is insufficient for a family of four to survive in Delhi.

Ashish Zutshi, Vice-President of the J&K Internally Displaced Welfare Society, said, “We receive only Rs 108 per day, which is hardly sufficient to live in Delhi. Although we have other sources of income, the relief is meant to compensate for the hardship of our prolonged exile over the past three decades.”

Sunil Shakdher, founder of the Association of the Kashmiri Pandit Committee, expressed frustration over the discontinuation of their Ad Hoc Monthly Relief (AMR), which had previously been Rs 108 per person per day for a family of four. “For the past three months, our relief has been stopped on various pretexts,” Shakdher said. He criticised the authorities for inconsistencies in handling the relief distribution, noting issues such as the exclusion of new family members from the records.

Shakdher added, “We want the J&K Government to act as our custodian and facilitate our return. We don’t want to be divided and defeated in our survival. The government needs to figure out the terms and conditions for our return to Kashmir.”

Ramesh Mota, another protester, highlighted the bureaucratic hurdles in obtaining relief. “In this heat, we are already so troubled. When we go to the counters for the AMR, they demand multiple documents like Aadhaar cards and marriage certificates. Why are there different laws for us in Jammu and Delhi? In Jammu, new family members are added easily, while in Delhi, they are not,” Mota questioned.

Manish Zijoo, another protester, reflected on the prolonged struggle: “Since arriving in Delhi in 1990, every day has been a struggle. We thought we’d be back in 15 days, but it’s been 34 years. My father passed away dreaming of going back home.” He also pointed out that their current relief is based on only four family members, excluding those added since their arrival.

Zutshi suggested a practical solution: “We want the government to give us a one-time compensation and facilitate our return to Jammu. With only 1,800 families left, it shouldn’t be too difficult.”

The protesters also proposed that the Jammu and Kashmir House in Delhi be designated as the nodal agency to handle issues related to Kashmiri migrants.