No Kashmiri Pandit has left

The Centre’s assertion in Parliament that no Kashmiri Pandit (KP) working under the Prime Minister’s Development Package has resigned following targeted killings in the Valley would have been reassuring if it were backed by the situation on the ground. Engulfed in fear and panic after a series of terror attacks, the killing of Rahul Bhat inside his office in Budgam district on May 12 led to massive protests by the employees posted in different parts of Kashmir, demanding relocation. Even as their sit-in continues in Jammu, leaders of the union who claim to represent them say several have quit, though their resignations have not been accepted. Some have returned for the sake of their children’s education, but a sense of insecurity permeates their daily life. Not acknowledging their tense and difficult working conditions is a disservice, and is self-defeating.

Union minister Nityanand Rai’s statement that no Kashmiri Pandit has migrated from the Valley since August 2019, when Article 370 was revoked, is also being perceived as an attempt to hide behind figures to mask the reality. Minority communities have become soft targets of terrorist outfits, and have taken to the streets to bring attention to their plight. While the government has approved the construction of 6,000 transit accommodation structures for the Kashmiri migrant employees engaged or to be engaged in various departments in the Valley, this in itself would change little in the absence of a serious and committed effort towards building trust. A critical element could be the early announcement of Assembly elections, thus restarting the political process.

The substantial decline in the number of terrorist attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, from 417 in 2018 to 229 in 2021, will be viewed with a degree of satisfaction by the security establishment, but the figures belie the loud talk of peace having taken a foothold in the troubled region after it was stripped of its special status.

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