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| Not all Pandits wish to return to Kashmir | | | Whenever there is some religious festival in Kashmir and the Pandits flock the shrines to soleminise their presence in strength. It has happened during the annual Khir Bhawani Mela and it has happened during the ongoing Khrew Mela where the devotees coming from various states of India Scores of Kashmiri Pandits (KPs) from different parts of India thronged the temple here at Khrew village of South Kashmir's Pulwama district to celebrate their respects to goddess Jawala Ji. The annual festival marking the birthday of local Hindu deity. KPs paid obeisance on the occasion of their annual festival known as Haar Tshodah. Eyewitnesses said that apart from non-migrant Pandits, scores of Pandits who are residing in Jammu, Mumbai, Delhi and other states arrived in Khrew village of Pampore area to participate in the annual festival, which is observed to celebrate birthday of Mata Jawala Ji.
Mahraj Krishan, a migrant Kashmiri Pandit who is presently living in Jammu said that it is mandatory for them to visit this temple once in a year. Since today is the birth day of our goddess Jawala Mata Ji , all of us pay our obeisance at the temple," he said.
What seems paradoxical that none of the 3.50 lakh kashmiri pandits do not return to the valley. Since south Kashmir including Pampore part of Khrew is militancy violence zone still the Pandits made a beeline to the temple. The story is repeated during the annual Mata Ragini Mela in Ganderbal. What these pandits want they want a Home land for their resettlement and later on they demanded separate zones for their resettlement. And the Governor has accepted the demand for settling the pandits in separate areas where the Government will setup colonies for Pandits.
Annually they visit either the Jawala shrine in Khrew or Mat a Ragini in Ganderbal but no where they are ready to face death and death threats as was the case in 1989-90 which forced over 3.50 lakh pandits to forcibly migrate to the plains of India. This time a major population of Pandits is settled in various foreign lands where they lead a comfortable living. Others are settled in various states of India and think of the future of grandsons and great grandsons. They are well settled and it is not easy for them to give a bye bye to their lucrative jobs. This is not the question. The main question is their rehabilitation without any violence. But these Pandits know from their intelligence that they may not be safe in Kashmir. That is why they want to spend three to four months of difficult summer in the plains and return. That means Pandits want to temporary settle in the valley. Resettlement of displaced Pandits in Kashmir, which is back on the agenda of the BJP, is likely to test the resolve and sincerity of Narendra Modi-led NDA government. With reports of the Central government reconsidering revival of the plan to set up camp townships in the Valley to resettle 3.50 lakh minority Hindus, the step would be the biggest confidence-building measure in decades. A project under which 6,000 housing units were to be constructed for employees engaged under the Prime Minister's Employment Package was "abandoned" by the NDA government during its first term (2014-2019). |
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