While many see it as best practical option to give sense of security, others believe that separate township will further deepen the divide between Muslims and Pandits in Kashmir.
By Raqib Hameed Naik, TwoCircles.net,
Ever since the BJP came to power at centre, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi led government has shown keen interest towards solving the resettlement issue of migrant Kashmiri Pandits. The initiative has been hailed by various quarters but the latest move of the central government to create “composite townships” for displaced Pandits in Kashmir valley is receiving a stiff resistance from the mainstream political parties, separatists as well as several organisations of the Kashmiri Pandits.
Amid raging political debate on ‘composite townships’ for migrant Pandits; some living in Kashmir, have termed the plans as unfeasible.
President of the Kashmiri Pandit Sangarsh Samiti, Sanjay Tickoo said, “It will only make Pandits vulnerable and under such circumstances nobody will come back,” he told TCN.
The Kashmir based Pandit organisation said that some parts of plan are good but the mode of execution looks dangerous. “Majority of Pandits have sold their land and houses here and even if they want to come back, they won’t be able to do that. So for such cases the construction of houses is fine but establishing them in exclusive zones won’t help,” said Tickoo.
Security forces are on alert to thwart any protest possession towards historic Ghanta Ghar in commercial hub of Srinagar, Lal Chowk.
Kashmiri Pandit Sangharsh Samiti (KPSS) estimates that only 10 to 15 percent of Kashmiri Pandits would choose to return based on the facilities government is promising to provide.
Sanjay Dhar, Chairman of Satisar Foundation, told TwoCircles.net that Kashmiri Muslims who are talking of ‘composite culture’in the backdrop of the government plans for ‘Composite Township’ should remember that it had already failed during 1990s.
“The composite culture of “Kashmiriyat” on whose bases Kashmiri Muslims want Kashmiri Pandits back in their native places failed during 1990s when hundreds of KPs were massacred and majority of Kashmiri Muslims remained mute spectators,” Dhar told TCN.
He, however, appeared supportive of the idea from the security perspective of KPs.
“It is better to have township because we want to live in a place where we can feel sense of security. If townships aren’t created then the chances are high that the same situation of migration could arise again,” said Dhar.
Chanchal Dhar, a Social Activist and member of Vivekanand Kendra, termed ‘Composite Township’ as the only option left for Kashmiri Pandits at the moment. Chanchal told TwoCircles.net that Separatists should stop pressurizing the government on the townships issue.
“We want to live back in Kashmir with honour and dignity and it is only possible through separate township for KPs. Separatists are trying to impose “Kashmiriyat” on Kashmiri Pandits,” she said.
The resettlement projects of successive governments seem to be failing in the absence of consensus among the Kashmiri Pandits itself as some population of KPs is against the proposal of townships.
The question remains, whether all the Kashmiri Pandits living across many states of India will come back to Kashmir or this exercise of government will fail miserably.
Rattan Lal Bhat, a retired government employee, who spent most of his childhood in Sagam Kokernag, told TCN that “Most of the Pandits have sold their property in Kashmir and those who are left with some land lack Pandit inhabitants to the area,” adding that it is necessary to have a Townships for Pandits from security point of view.
The Muslims of Kashmir Valley are in consensus that the Kashmiri Pandit should return to their original homes which they deserted during 1990s and live alongside those they once used to live, but are totally opposed to ‘ghettoisation’ through separate townships.
In fact a group of Kashmiri Pandits living in the Valley too joined separatist JKLF-sponsored protest against exclusive township on Friday.
“Pandits are the part of our culture “Kashmiriyat” which is incomplete without their presence in their natives. Sense of security is the only thing which is making them hesitant to come back to their original places,” Foeroz Jammal Hafiz, a local resident from Srinagar told Twocircles.net.
Meanwhile, Kashmir Valley observed total shut down on Saturday. Even MLA Langate, Engineer Rashid had supported the call for shutdown. Similar situation arose last year when Rajnath Singh asked Omar Abdullah to find land for Kashmiri Pandits. The issue was part of the BJP’s manifesto in last year’s assembly elections and also in PDP-BJP Common Minimum Programme.
The Hindu Kashmiri Pandits, a small but prominent group, who had stably constituted approximately 4 to 5 per cent of Kashmir valley during Dogra rule till 1947, and 20 per cent of whom had left the Kashmir valley by 1950, began to leave in much greater numbers in 1990s in the wake of rising militant attacks.
An estimated 1000,00 Kashmiri Pandits left the valley and migrated south to Jammu after the insurgency began in the valley as the militants specifically targeted the Pandits and violated their human rights.
Dozens of brutal events in 1990s like killings, abductions and gang rape of Sarla Bhat, GirjaTikoo, Bimla Braroo, Archana Baroo left Kashmiri Pandits with only option of agonizing mass exodus from the valley.
According to Indian government figures, 219 Kashmiri Pandits were killed and around 140,000 migrated due to militancy while over 3000 stayed in the valley. The local organisation of Pandits in Kashmir, Kashmir Pandit Sangharsh Samiti claimed that 399 Kashmiri Pandit were killed by insurgents. The nature of planned exodus has remained controversial, with many questioning the role of then Governor Jagmohan in organizing, what they call “clandestine exodus”.
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