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| Pray for peace to facilitate return of Pandits | | | As many as 29 years have passed but the return of the Kashmiri Pandits to the valley has turned to be a dream. And on Jesht Ashtami political leaders cutting across their loyalty prayed at the shrine of Kheer Bhawani to facilitate return of the Kashmiri Pandits. About 3.50 lakh Pandits have been forced to migrate to different parts of the country and some of them have gone to foreign countries. They remember their culture, their Kashmiriyat and civilisation but during all these years of 29 years nobody has come to the rescue of Pandits. And Pandits fear incidents of violence which may force them to migrate to the different parts of the state once again.
Governor Satya Pal Malik and several other leaders, cutting across party lines, made a beeline to pay obeisance at the Mela Kheer Bhawani here on Monday to pray for peace and return of Kashmiri Pandits to the Valley.
"I congratulate the people who have come here today. I want the brotherhood as it is now to remain forever. I want the state to be prosperous and developed. The devotees have come in large numbers this year. This is the beauty of India, that we celebrate all festivals together. I was happy to know that people of Tulmulla lent their help on this occasion. I congratulate the people and the administration," Malik said. National Conference (NC) president and MP-elect Farooq Abdullah said he hoped for the return of Pandits. "It is good that Kashmiri Pandits have come here. I hope that God will bring them back soon....so that Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Christians live together," he said after paying obeisance at the ancient temple.
Echoing similar views, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national general secretary Ram Madhav said "I pray that more and more Pandits come here. I also pray for a dignified return to their homeland. We have vowed to establish peace and development in the Valley. We are thankful to the Muslims who help in making the festival a success. We are sure that more devotees will come to the shrine for prayers. It is yet uncertain whether the Pandits will return to Kashmir or keep their hopes alive. Well the separatists and the militants do not want Pandits to return and in case of some incidents of violence militants fear that any killing of Pandits may give them a bad name. And Pandits do not want to return because of the fluid security scenario. And Pandits will return when there is perfect peace and no killings of civilians. |
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