Kashmiri Pandits should be transferred to Jammu till terror attacks abate: G N Azad

Kashmiri Pandits should be transferred to Jammu till terror attacks abate: G N Azad

Democratic Azad Party (DAP) president Ghulam Nabi Azad on Monday said Kashmiri Pandit employees posted in the Valley should be temporarily transferred to Jammu to save their lives in the wake of targeted attacks by terrorists. “A decision has to be taken as per the situation. When the situation improves, they (KP employees) should come back. But currently, there is fear in the minds of these employees. For the time being, they should be transferred to Jammu so that their lives can be saved. Why should they be killed,” he questioned.

Nine Kashmiri Pandits have been killed in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) since 2020, the ministry of home affairs (MHA) informed Parliament earlier this month.

Speaking to reporters after a rally in Anantnag district on Monday, Azad said incidents of targeted killings that have taken place in the past one year have resulted in a situation wherein Kashmiri Pandit employees posted here do not want to stay. “How will the other KPs come back in such a situation,” he asked.

Azad said it was during his tenure as chief minister that 6,000 posts were sanctioned under the PM’s Package for KPs. “It was in my tenure that the Jagti township came up, the accommodation at Budgam and other places was also built under the double shift work,” he added.

On the impact of the Bharat Jodo Yatra spearheaded by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Azad said, “Let them do what they are doing, we will do our work. We are also working to unite. We walk in the snow-clad mountains. Some people take the easier task, we take on the tough ones.”

Earlier this month, Union minister of state for home Nityanand Rai informed Parliament listed various measures being taken in the Valley, including “round-the-clock nakas at strategic points and surveillance on persons who attempt to provide support to terrorists and initiate action against them.”

Addressing the rally, Azad said there should be a separate policy to deal with militants which should not be extended to ordinary people. He said not every Kashmiri should be viewed with suspicion.

“There are two categories of people. One is a militant who gets arms training in Pakistan or here only. Every government has a policy to deal with them. I have not said they should be forgiven. However, there are ordinary people who have no links to militancy, they should not be harassed,” Azad said.

When asked about the sealing of properties of Jamaat-e-Islami(JeI) by the government, Azad said that every party has its rights but a difference needs to be made. “For all, there should be a policy that we should not see every person in J&K with suspicion. Militant is a separate category and to deal with that every government has a policy. Whichever party, I have never said that he should be forgiven,” he said.

In 2019, the Centre banned JeI outfit for five years for alleged anti-national activities, after which, authorities started sealing properties of the outfit. So far, the State Investigation Agency has identified as many as 188 JeI properties across the Union Territory which have either been sealed or are under the process of being notified for further legal action to what it said was “to choke the availability of funds for secessionist activities and to dismantle the ecosystem of anti-national elements and terror networks hostile to India’s sovereignty”.

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