‘Kashmiri Pandits always welcome to return home’

Jammu: National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Monday said Kashmiri Pandits are always welcome to return to their homes in the Valley, as the displaced community observed the 36th anniversary of their exodus in Jammu and reiterated demands for a comprehensive policy on their return and rehabilitation.

However, the former chief minister expressed scepticism about whether the migrated community would want to come back in a permanent manner, considering they have built new lives where they currently reside in other parts of the country, with their children engaged in employment and education.

In a related development, J&K Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary said the National Conference leadership has always supported the return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley as Kashmir is incomplete without the community. Kashmiri Pandits observe January 19 as ‘holocaust day’ to mark the exodus of their community members from the Valley in 1990 due to threats and killings by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists.

Members of the community also staged protests at various locations in support of their demands, including a separate homeland within the Valley.

Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a two-day party programme here, Abdullah noted that many Kashmiri Pandit families never left the Valley and continue to live peacefully in their villages and localities.

“When will they return (to Kashmir)? Who is stopping them? No one is preventing them. They should come back, as it is their home. Many Kashmiri Pandits are currently living in the Valley and have not left their villages,” the former chief minister responded when asked about protests by Kashmiri Pandits supporting their demand for return and rehabilitation in the Valley.

Hundreds of Kashmiri Pandits, under the banner of ‘Youth 4 Panun Kashmir,’ also blocked the Jammu-Srinagar national highway near Jagti camp on Sunday evening, demanding a separate homeland in the Valley for their return and asking for the passage of a Bill in Parliament to recognise their genocide.

When asked about the demands of the displaced Kashmiri Pandits, Abdullah remarked that he had assured them that the govt would construct houses for them and provide the necessary support.