For us, nothing has changed: Kashmiri Pandits
Arjun Sharma
Jammu, July 31
Nestled on the outskirts of Jammu, along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, Jagti township houses the Kashmiri Pandit community, who await the day they will be able to return to their homes in the Valley.
As the fifth anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370 approaches, residents of the township, with over 4,200 flats and nearly 20,000 community members, have little to rejoice. They claim they did not witness any change in the past five years, despite the tall promises by the government.
BJP, Cong termed exodus simple migration
The abrogation of Article 370 has brought no change for us. It has only exposed the resettlement claims of the present regime. Both BJP and Congress have termed the exodus of thousands of Pandits simple migration. Ajay Churangoo, Chairman of Panun Kashmir
Shweta Bhat, 36, a housewife, says they are plagued with fear of targeted killings of Pandits serving in Kashmir under the PM's employment package.
Her husband, too, works in the Valley. “We pray for his safety all day. Little has been done to allay our fears,” she said.
Her fear is not exaggerated. Fourteen persons belonging to the minority community, including three Kashmiri Pandits, were killed in the Valley in 2022 alone.
Bhat’s parents had to flee the Valley overnight in 1990, when she was two years old. "Giving quality education to my two sons is our priority," she says.
As many as 39,782 Kashmiri Hindu families had to leave the Valley in 1990. According to the figures of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, 219 Kashmiri Pandits were killed during the insurgency.
At Jagti, only a few people can be spotted on roads or at shops due to the hot weather and the recent spate of violence in the Jammu region, which forced the government to increase police vigil.
The headquarters of the Army’s White Knight Corps (16 Corps), incharge of the security situation in the Jammu region, is located nearby at Nagrota.
Another housewife, Anita Raina, 46, reminisces the days when residents of the town rarely latched their doors. “Sadly, things have changed. Now, as soon as we enter the house, we must lock the door. Our area is close to a forest, which adds to our worries.”
Rumours about the movement of terrorists in the nearby area created panic a few days ago.
The perception among the community members living in Jammu and elsewhere is that despite promises of resettlement in the Valley, little has been done by the present dispensation.
Satish Mahaldar, an activist and chairman of the J&K Peace Forum, says governments have come and gone but nothing has changed for them. “Since 1990, the BJP's manifesto has called for the return of Kashmiri Pandits to the Valley. However, they have not kept their promise,” he states, adding that the government had launched a portal for Pandits to reclaim their property sold in distress.
Ajay Churangoo, chairman of Panun Kashmir, minces no words when he says the BJP-led Central government did no better than the Congress. “The abrogation of Article 370 has brought no change for us. It has only exposed the resettlement claims of the present regime. Both BJP and Congress have termed the exodus of thousands of Pandits simple migration,” he says.
What more is there to say, he adds with resignation.
