KINS Desk
Srinagar, Sep 29 (KINS): A Kashmiri Pandit body Tuesday claimed that there is a deliberate attempt to tarnish the image of Prime Minister and Home Minister by not implementing the approved recommendations of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Chairman Reconciliation, Return & Rehabilitations of Kashmiri Pandit Migrants Satish Mahaldar in a statement to news agency Kashmir Indepth News Service says “there is a deliberate attempt to tarnish the image of our Prime Minister & Home Minister by not implementing the approved recommendations of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to fill the vacant posts against the PM Package towards the return & rehabilitation of the Kashmiri Migrants — Reference to MHA letter No 12013/6/2014 dated December 4, 2015. The MHA issued a reminder letter to the J&K Union territory administration on June 23, 2020 to expedite the process as soon as possible. However, till date nothing has happened.”
He said the recruitment process is pending even after the selection process for the appointment of eligible candidates from the Kashmiri Pandit community has been completed a long time ago.
“Sanjay Tickoo, president of the Kashmiri Pandit Sangharsh Samiti (KPSS) is on fast till death since September 20. His demand is to implement the orders in letter and spirit. We are requesting the UT administration to implement the High court & the MHA order in letter & spirit so that the deprived members of the minority community get relief to sustain & survive,” Mahaldar said in the statement.
The statement says it is irony that no official or the government in UT or Centre is paying heed to the genuine demands of the Kashmiri Pandits.. “This has once again proven the apathetic attitude of those at the helm.”
“Not just the past three decades, Kashmiri Pandits have been suffering for the past 70 years on account of the denial of democratic, religious and cultural rights in Kashmir. Despite, raising the issue several times and even paying heavily by getting uprooted from our homeland and facing genocide/ethnic cleansing, no government in power has given us relief and assurance in practicality,” it reads.
The total ignoring of Tickoo’s protest by the J&K administration is also an example of the same attitude, he claimed.
“We, the Kashmiri Pandit community have full faith in the Central government’s motto of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas and Sabka Vishwas”. Our beleaguered community, which is the first victim of terrorism in Kashmir for being patriotic, has been suffering for the past three decades in exile. We always believed that we would be helped by the government. Many promises have been made to us in all these 31 years, but the community has not seen a concrete policy that talks about our economic upliftment, educational and constitutional guarantees and our return to the valley.”
The statement said the GOI has not done anything for physical & economic rehabilitation, relief and welfare till date. “We feel that we have been betrayed. Our constitutional and fundamental rights have not been protected.”
Mahaldar said, on June 14, 2019, volunteer 419 Kashmiri Pandit families had been promised land and house in Kashmir as part of the return and rehabilitation process, but nothing has been done in this regard till date. “The list had been submitted to the then Home minister of India, J&K Governor and to the Prime Minister’s Office .Over six years have passed for the Modi-led government at the Centre, but no proposal has been made by the Government of India for the Return and Rehabilitation of the Kashmiri Pandits in the valley,” he said.
He has urged the GoI to immediately allocate Rs three lakh crore budget towards the physical & economic rehabilitation of the Kashmiri Pandit Migrants in the current financial year with special provision that includes the cost of minimum one kanal land & towards construction of four-bedroom house to each Kashmiri Pandit Migrant family.
“We urge the GoI to immediately notify the land towards the physical rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits across the 10 districts of the Kashmir Valley. The Kashmiri Pandit Migrants should be rehabilitated as per their parliamentary constituencies specified on their Migrants Cards.”
“We also urge the GOI immediately to sanction minimum 300 acres of land which should be allocated/reserved for Kashmiri Pandit Migrants who want to set up industry in Kashmir at a nominal cost. The Kashmir Pandit professionals / entrepreneurs are very keen to invest in Tourism, Hospitality, Agriculture, Education, Medicinal Plants, Health and Pharmaceuticals, Manufacturing, IT & ITES, Renewable Energy & other sectors. We urge GOI to set up an SIT team to probe into the killings of innocent Kashmiri Pandits in the Kashmir valley since 1989 onwards and also probe who were responsible for the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits . The SIT should be headed by a retired Supreme court Judge.”
For the protection of the Art & Culture of the Kashmiri Pandits, he asked for one exclusive art and culture building along with amphi-theatre in which Pandits can display their art, culture and literature. “The exile from Kashmir is threatening the traditions, culture, old scriptures/literature, and heritage.”
“We also urge the GoI to sanction 30 acres of land towards setting up of the Sharda University in Kashmir. Sharda University once was regarded as the pride of Kashmir ( Asia ) in teaching Vedic literature of Hinduism, Ayush & spirituality. We request the Govt of India to sanction Rs 100 crores towards setting up the university in Kashmir. This would help us to revive the ancient heritage of the entire Asia & J&K state.”
“We urge GOI that in the 2021, census be considered before proceeding for the delimitation process as we all are aware that most of the names of most of the Kashmiri Pandits have been illegally deleted from the electoral rolls of Kashmir. Thus our democratic rights have been ignored. We request GoI that all migrants’ names should be enrolled in the electoral list of Kashmir as per their rehabilitation policies within the parliamentary constituencies.”
