Will they ever come back?

For the past several weeks, there is hue and cry regarding the settlement of displaced Kashmiri Pandits who left Valley in early 90s under some unavoidable circumstances. I don’t contest any of the claims made from both the sides whether they had migrated voluntarily or were forced to leave Valley. But, there is no denial to the fact that being a minority community in Kashmir valley, the fear psyche among them was a natural phenomenon. Though, it is not correct that majority Muslims were against them, but it is fact that all the militant groups at that time were looking all the Pandits with suspicious eye. There was no doubt that many of the Pandits would have been killed mere on the allegation of being an ‘informer.’ If we see things practically, we can say, Kashmiri Pandits had no option but to leave Valley. Not only the Kashmiri pandits migrated alone, even all the pro-India political activists abandoned Valley during that period including Farooq Abdullah.
However, for the past 25 years now, the politics about the return of Pandit community has become a nation-wide political slogan for all the political parties. Some suggest separate townships while others suggest of reintegrating them with the entire population. But nobody has bothered to conduct a scientific ground survey whether they want to come back or not? Will they afford to face one more reverse migration? Will they take a risk of investing their future in an unsettled land? In my opinion they will not.
What the prime party of this issue thinks? I talked to many common Kashmir pandits, almost all of them refused to go back to a land that has uncertain future. So, they don’t want to invest the future of their young generation in this trouble torn state. However, they will keep the pot boiling to reap the benefits of migration. For instance, Sunita Kould, an educated migrated pandit lady, working as lecturer, says that though she misses her motherland but cannot afford another reverse migration. She says, “It is a fact that we don’t want to live as refugees but a young Kashmiri is full of aspirations about his career for which the avenues and opportunities are not available in Kashmir. There is no secure future. This is my thinking as common Kashmiri pandit and I represent only my personal feelings.” Her family has constructed a new house in Noida and they don’t want to leave that place and come back.
She further says, even the Muslims who are conscious about the future of their children don’t want to live in Kashmir.
“I have nothing to do with politics. I am only concerned about the future of my children. So, I don’t want to push them in uncertain future,” said Miss Koul. This is tip of an iceberg. To my opinion, being sensitive to the future and career of their young generation, the pandits will never push their young generation to Kashmir. Even if a separate home land is provided to them, they will not come back until and unless Kashmir issue is resolved permanently as per their wish (read complete integration with India).

Another Kashmiri pandit said “What will we do to the so called ‘homeland’? He says, for instance a district is given to us separately in the Valley but until and unless whole of Kashmir is integrated with India permanently and issue of Kashmir is resolved forever, we don’t want to be part of the unsettled land.” And in my opinion it is a valid reason. He says they have started a new life and are concerned about the future of their next generation. He said they don’t want to push their young generation towards an uncertain future. He also said that, “Their properties should be restored and it is responsibility of the government to save our properties from the mischief elements.”
So, all hue and cry by various political groups on this issue is nothing but a political gimmick. They may come back, but only after Jammu and Kashmir is completely merged with India as per their political ideology. So, until the issue is not resolved, the issue of Kashmiri pandits coming back is just like day dreaming.

Author is a Senior Journalist. He can be mailed at mirshafiq@gmail.com