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| Concern is OK but surrender is dangerous | | |
NIRBHAY JAMMUAL
Jammu, July 10: The rescheduled visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh though comes as a message of fresh hope for the displaced Kashmiri Pandit migrants, but a serious question still remains –whether Government of India has silently concluded that the Pandits who form a vital part of Kashmiri culture and heritage will not be resettled in their native places of birth.
During his visit, which was put off for today, the Prime Minister had to visit Jagati near Nagrota where building to accommodate Kashmiri Pandit migrants in flats is coming up. Similar flats have come up in Sheikhopura in Budgam district of Central Kashmir but none of the community members have so far expressed willingness to find those flats as a lasting settlement.
It is good that the government is making serious and sincere efforts to rehabilitate the displaced Kashmiri Pandit community. But it is equally bad that the establishment has arrived at a simple foregone conclusion that Kashmiri Pandits will never be resettled to their native places of birth they belonged to before 1990.
Kashmiri Pandits are a part of a rich culture and civilisation of Kashmir . The leaders and social scientists, even the men in the highest offices like former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vapjayee, are of the firm opinion that the very concept of Kashmiriyat is incomplete without Kashmiri Pandits.
It is this fact which has often forced separatist leaders like Syed Ali Shah Geelani and militant commanders like Syed Slahuddin has welcomed Pandits back in the Valley. They too have come to the conclusion that resettlement and rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits in the native places is a part of the Kashmir solution.
The exodus of Kashmiri Pandits in early 1990s left Kashmir devoid of a vital element of its cultural heritage and political identity. Without Kashmiri Pandits, the Valley turned into homogenous society which does not fit into the definition of secularism for which India projects Kashmir world over.
These 17 long years, the Kashmiri Pandit community has witnessed innumerable sufferings and humiliations and now things have reached to a point when their identity is under the threat of extinction. Any move aimed at offering them a safe, secure and dignified shelter is always welcome but a conclusion that Kashmiri Pandits have to be reduced to a commodity to dwell in flats and camps is disastrous.
Their original identity will eventually have to be restored by resettling and rehabilitating them at the places of their origin. The recent Khir Bhawani Mela where Kashmiri Pandits thronged in thousands underlines the fact that how deeply and strongly they miss their roots. Of course, peace is imperative for this but a pragmatic approach and sincerity of effort is required to restore their honour and dignity.
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