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| Simply sweet homecoming for some | | | "I see a new Kashmir."This cryptic remark has come from one Ganga Prasad,who visited the valley after about 22 years.Prasad used to run a medical shop at Hazratbal and has been,during his stay in Jammu,Delhi and now Mohali, nursing a dream of returning to Kashmir not only for meeting people who would come to his shop for treatment but for visiting various Hindu and Muslim Shrines.He has already visited Kheer Bhawani and is now scheduled to visit the shrine at Dargah,Chrar-i-Sharief and Baba Reshi at Gulmarg.Ganga Prasad has two satisfactions .One that he was able to visit Kashmir,which he had left in 1989.Secondly he was elated not only as a result of warm welcome from men,women and chuildren,whom he had treated before his migration,but also because of the fulfillment of his wish to visit the muslim shrines where he offered prayers. Ganga Prasad is not the only Pandit who was warmly welcomed by people in Kashmir.During the last eight years several hundred displaced people have visited Kashmir and have received tremendous love from their friends and neighbours.
Ganga Prasad's desire to visit various muslim shrines reflects the displaced peoples'faith in Kashmiriyat notwithstanding the fact that the very spirit of Kashmiriyat had been raped by guntotting youths and a section of fundamentalists who had been indoctrinated by Pakistani agencies for carrying out ethnic cleansing in Kashmir.Despite traumatic experience displaced people had since 1990 they still wish to keep their faith in Kashmiriyat alive.Whoever asks Ganga Prasad whether he would return to Kashmir on a permanent basis he does not have any firm answer.His daughter and son-in law are settled in the plains and they do not have any intention to return to Kashmir where they would not be able to get any lucrative job.In fact Ganga Prasad,soon after migration from Srinagar,stayed for a brief time in Jammu and later shifted to Delhi fromwhere he has settled in Mohali in Punjab. If he has one reason that does not motivate him to be back to Kashmir is the lack of suitable residential house.The one he had in Jawahar Nagar had been sold by him when he,like other displaced people,thought that the chances for their return to Kashmir were bleak.
Is the situation in Kashmir conducive for the displaced people to return to the valley ?This question cannot have a one line answer because the security scenario in the valley keeps on fluctuating between peace and conflict and between normalcy and violence. Even those who wish to return to Kashmir do not have houses as they too sold them years ago.No doubt the Government has taken and is taking a number of steps for providing accommodation to the displaced people once they return but that arrangement does not suit a large number of them.Many others have not been influenced by meagre financial assistance the Government has decided to provide to those who,on return to Kashmir,renovate or rebuild their damaged houses.People like Ganga Prasad want the Government to find some better arrangement than it has conceived.In addition to this it is the Government alone that has been trying to motivate displaced people to return to Kashmir when the migrants expect an invitation from the civil society,from the muslims.That is possible when muslims living in Kashmir feel safe and secure.No doubt the situation in Kashmir has improved but the incidents of armed encounters between the militants and the security forces in places like Pulwama,Sopore,Kupwara and other places create uncertainty.And there are many among the displaced people who have fears that on their return to Kashmir they may lose freedom of speech and movement.This may simply encourage a sizeable section of displaced people to visit Kashmir as tourists for spending summer months.
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