Non-migrant Kashmiri Pandits, who stayed back in the Valley after the eruption of militancy in 1990, are crying foul as they find “no mention” in the package announced by the Centre for migrants on Wednesday.
Unhappy with the government’s approach, non-migrant Pandits today threatened to launch an agitation in case the benefits of the package were not extended to community.
“We have been ignored yet again. Despite several pleas, we continue to be ignored by the successive regimes. The benefits of the package should be first extended to non-migrants, failing which we will launch an agitation,” said president, Hindu Welfare Society Kashmir Chunni Lal Bhat.
He said most of the non-migrants living in the Valley were internally displaced and continued to face problems related to accommodation and employment.
“If the government cannot rehabilitate those who stayed back in Kashmir in tough times, how can they bring back the migrants? The government is forcing us to come on roads,” Bhat said.
The society in the past staged several protests to seek a comprehensive rehabilitation and employment package besides grant of minority status for non-migrant Pandits.
Bhat regretted that the “real stakeholders” were never taken into confidence while announcing a package for them.
“It is imperative that the government talks to the real stakeholders of our community, especially those who did not migrate out of Kashmir. We are the stakeholders and we need to be taken on board before any package is announced for our community,” he said.
Political and social activist Bharat Raina, a resident of Tulsi Bagh, said the government should extend benefits of the package to the non-migrants Pandits as well.
Raina, who had unsuccessfully contested the 2008 Assembly elections from Srinagar’s Habbakadal constituency, said 437 non-migrant Pandit families were presently living in the Valley — 83 in Srinagar city and rest of them scattered across the Valley, mainly in Ganderbal, Shopian, Anantnag and Pulwama districts.
Non-migrant Pandits threaten stir over exclusion from Central package
