By Raqib Hameed Naik, TwoCircles.net,
Srinagar: Against the back drop of highly ambitious Composite Township project of central government to resettle and rehabilitate migrated Kashmiri Pandits back into the valley, the internally displaced Pandit families living in Kashmir still struggles to roll back their life to normalcy.
The grievances came to fore during one day “Women Engagement meeting” organized by EHSAAS – an NGO at the Government Colonies for Pandits in Sheikhpora area in the Budgam District in Jammu and Kashmir. The meeting was marked by first hand experiences of Kashmiri Pandit women, which they suffered during the conflict in the valley. The community appears to have lot of anger against the government as well, both state and central.
Sarla Koul, a septuagenarian, once lived peacefully in Lalpora area of District Budgam but one fateful incident on March 21, 1997 changed everything which was going to come afterwards. In the Sangrampora massacre seven Kashmiri Pandit villagers in Sangrampora village of Budgam district were killed by alleged militants.
“After the sangrampora massacre we were asked to vacate our homes by then Deputy Commissioner Peer. We were brought to the houses of some Pandits’, deserted during 1990s conflict, when militancy was at its peak. We along with 30 families stayed in those houses for years before being shifted to the gated colony constructed by State government in 2004,” recollects Koul.
Another woman, Parmila Bharti was in her teens when militancy erupted in the valley. Despite their fellow Pandits’ migration, she and her family stayed back in Kashmir valley after they were stopped by their Muslim neighbours.
“After the Sangrampora massacre there was fear among Pandits living here in Kashmir. My family had then decided to migrate towards Jammu but timely intervention by our Muslim brothers made us to change our mind. They assured us that if we die we all will die together and here, we are today, happy and alive,” said Bharti.
When enquired by one of the moderators regarding their views on the community which suffered majorly in this unending conflict in Kashmir, all the Pandit women replied in a collective voice that Kashmiri Muslims, Kashmiri Pandits and Kashmiri Sikhs have equally suffered in the conflict.
Rennu (name changed, on request) came back three months ago to the valley as she has been appointed as a Laboratory Assistant in a local government school in Budgam, under the Prime Minister Special Package for Kashmiri migrants.
She considers her short experience with the Kashmiri Muslims as “very cooperative and helpful.” At the same time, she says, she finds it very difficult to live in the colony as she is forced to share her flat in the colony with another Pandit family as there is more influx of Pandits and lesser number of available flats; for which she squarely blames the government.
“We had migrated in 90s when I was just eight months old. I was recently appointed as Laboratory Assistant at a local school which required me to move back to the valley. During my last three months’ stay, Kashmiri Muslims have been very cooperative and helpful as I interact with them on daily basis during my working days in the school,” she said, adding, “But living here in the government colony meant for Kashmiri Pandits has been a night mare for me as I have to share the flat allotted to me by the authorities with another Kashmiri Pandit family.”
The state government in 2004 established a gated colony with 365 flats at Sheikhpura, in the Kashmir’s Budgam district for Pandits from Jammu to return. When none did, 31 internally displaced families of Pandits were allotted these flats. They were later joined by other Pandits who were given jobs and posted in Kashmir as a part of Prime Minister Special package for Kashmiri Migrants.
In the present state, the colony has become much crowded with the lack of basic amenities like water and dispensary.
“With the influx of Pandit migrants in Kashmir valley, a single flat consisting of a single room and kitchen is being forced to share by two Pandit families which is totally unjustified. Even we have to fetch water from common taps which are installed outside our blocks. There is no dispensary in our colony, to get a single paracetamol tablet also, we have to travel 4 kilometers to Budgam town,” said a woman from the group.
The internally displaced Kashmiri migrants who didn’t leave Kashmir valley and stayed back allege continuous neglect by the government as all the packages are given only to migrant Pandits who are staying in Jammu and other parts of India, while they are consistently neglected by both the state and central governments..
Nirmala, whose family is one among the internally displaced have two sons who are well educated with professional degrees but are yet to find any job.
“All job reservations are being given to migrants and the internally displaced Pandits like us, who have suffered all these years, are being subjected to discrimination. My two sons are jobless. Give them jobs then we can live in a rented apartment at least,” says Nirmala, adding that government should first rehabilitate internally displaced Kashmiri Pandits and then think of bringing back the migrant Pandits.
The event was part of ‘bridging divide initiative’, started by a Non Government Organization – Ehsaas which started earlier this month with sanitation of the temple premises in Ganaei Mohallah, in the Budgam district.
“There is deep divide among the two communities. These initiatives are intended to bridge the gaps so that there is a change of perception in the outlook of our Pandit brethrens. We want Kashmiri Pandits and Muslims to live side by side in the valley like once they used to live before 1990s,” Ezabir Ali, secretary of Ehsaas told Twocircles.net. She added that now they heard about their grievances, they will try to highlight these as well at different fora.