Kashmiri Hindus hear out plans on returning to valley
By IANSWednesday, September 23, 2009
JAMMU - Shedding their reservations, many organisations of Kashmiri Hindus Wednesday evening heard out the Jammu and Kashmir government’s plans for their return to their homeland, though two key groups stayed away.
The initiative — driven by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s Rs.1,600 crore package for the return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri Hindus living as migrants in several parts of the country, mostly in Jammu — was discussed at a meeting here of an apex committee on the migrants’ return.
It was described as a “success” by the chairman of the panel, the state’s Revenue Minister Raman Bhalla, who pointed out that only six of the 32 organisations were absent. But the absentees included both the groups of the key group called Panun Kashmir (Our Kashmir) that is fighting for a separate homeland.
“This is an eyewash. Why should the prime minister’s package form a condition for our return to the valley, where people are still getting killed,” said Panun Kashmir activist Sunil Dhar.
“Look at what happened in the valley in the last 24 hours (till Wednesday evening). Four soldiers lost their lives fighting militants,” he observed, while talking to IANS.
Bhalla, however, was optimistic about the future course of the apex panel. “I am sure that others too would join the deliberations and together, all of us would carry forward the mission of taking our Kashmiri Pandit brethren back to the Valley.”
Issues like creating accommodation for the migrants in the valley and also offering jobs to the unemployed Kashmiri migrants were discussed.
“It was a fruitful exercise,” said former state chief secretary and Kashmiri Hindu leader Vijay Bakaya.
About 350,000 Kashmiri Hindus had fled the valley in 1990, fearing violence from the militants. Many of them live in migrant camps in the Hindu-dominated Jammu region.
