Panun Kashmir resolution on Kashmiri Pandits

[dropcap color=”#008040″ boxed=”yes” boxed_radius=”8px” class=”” id=””]O[/dropcap]n Thursday when thousands of Kashmiri Pandits, living in exile in their own country, were readying themselves to attend the 27th anniversary of Holocaust day commemorating the forced exodus of the Kashmiri pandit community from their homeland the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly unanimously passed a resolution for creating a conducive atmosphere for the return of Kashmiri Pandits and other migrants to the Kashmir Valley.

Panun Kashmir, a premiere organization of Kashmiri Pandits reiterated and impressed on the necessity of creation of Separate Homeland for Kashmiri Hindus under free flow of Indian constitution to the North and East of River Vitasta.

Thousands of Kashmiri pandit families left behind religious places and houses when militancy erupted in 1989 in Jammu and Kashmir and migrated to Jammu and other parts of the country.

According to the state government records, 209 Pandits were killed during the militancy in the state.

Former Chief Minister proposed the resolution

Interestingly, the proposal to pass a resolution was first moved by the former Chief Minister and working President of National Conference Omar Abdullah.

His father Dr Farooq Abdullah was at the helm of affairs when situation started taking ugly turn leading to circumstances where thousands of Pandit families and others were hounded out of Kashmir valley.

Traditionally, National Conference has been pitching for early return of Kashmiri Pandits to Kashmir valley but while remaining in power for maximum duration  the party failed to create conducive atmosphere to allow these migrants to return to their homes and hearths and reunite with their neighbors with whom they coexisted before the ethnic cleansing took place in the Kashmir Valley.

Hours later, Panun Kashmir, a premiere organization of Kashmiri Pandits reiterated and impressed on the necessity of creation of Separate Homeland for Kashmiri Hindus under free flow of Indian constitution to the North and East of River Vitasta.

Chairman Panun Kashmir  Dr Ajay Chrungoo, said in the wake of the continued neglect and denial of the successive governments both at state as well as national level Panun Kashmir has embarked on a nation wide campaign EK BHARAT ABHIYAN – Kashmir KI AUR.

He said that it is time that Panun Kashmir as a solution to Kashmir problem be recognized as a national imperative.

Dr. Chrungoo called upon the whole nation to wake up to the stark reality and understand that the assault and genocidal war inflicted upon Kashmiri Hindus in 1990 is replicating and consuming the whole Indian Nation gradually.

Migration was a horrific part in the history

The state education minister and government spokesperson, Naeem Akhter said “Migration was a horrific part in the history.”

He said Kashmiris need Pandits more than Pandits need Kashmiris, after a resolution was passed in the house for the return of migrants.

“There is ethnic imbalance in the place where only one type of people live. There is instantaneous need for the return of Kashmiri pandits otherwise it can be an “end of a civilization.”

Kashmir is incomplete without them and they will have to return, he said.

Return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri Hindus

A researcher and Kashmiri writes Ramesh Tamiri while commenting on these political developments posted a comment on his social media page saying, “One thing can be said safely that so far there has been no serious policy on ensuring return of Pandits”.

There has been only politics both at the levels of majority community in valley and their local parties and also national parties in Delhi.

A sham, tokenist return needs to be distinguished from a holistic and sustainable return.

Two factors can help create situation to end the state of exile for displaced Kashmiris.

One, massive national pressure on Govt. to force it to take desired measures for sustainable return of Pandits.
Two, a strong action by Central Govt. against forces of subversion and communalism in Kashmir.

“Ek Bharat Abhiyan – Kashmir Ki Aur”

Meanwhile this year’s theme of Panun Kashmir’s annual congregation was “Ek Bharat Abhiyan – Kashmir Ki Aur”.

On this occasion an all India assembly of hundreds of delegates and activists representing Nationalist organizations unanimously endorsed the Separate Homeland Demand as envisaged in the Margadarshan  Resolution in 1991.

Dr.Charu Dutt Pingale ,a leading social and cultural activist  from Maharashtra declared that the struggle for separate homeland as spearheaded by Panun Kashmir  is the national demand of all nationalists of India.

M.M.Khajooria, ex DGP sanitised the masses about the havoc inflicted by the religious fanatic jihadis on the minorities of the state and rendered them homeless in their own state.

Tapan Ghosh, a firebrand nationalist ideologue from West Bengal blew into smithereens the anti national character of the secular fundamentalist. He said that religious cleansing of Kashmiri Hindus is a red signal for the entire nation as in it lies the  agenda of jihad  of Islamic theo fascism to change the demography of the Indian nation and ultimately balkanize the Indian nation.

So creation of separate homeland for Hindus of Kashmir is a national imperative.

Prof. Kashi Nath Pandita, eminent scholar and academician said that the Margdarshan  Resolution-91 that envisages a separate homeland for the Hindus of Kashmir to reverse the religious cleansing of Kashmir is a document that lays bare the forces  which have indulged in a continuous civilization  war to erase the Hindu symbols of Kashmir. Margdarshan Resolution is comprehensive document that addresses all the dangers of balkanization.

Dr. Agnishekher, Convener, Panun Kashmir said Panun Kashmir is a struggle for Panun Bharat.He warned that Jammu is on the radar of Islamic jihad  as the subversion in terms of demographic change by settling the Rohingyas from Myanmar.But the original inhabitants of Kashmir are denied homeland in Kashmir.

Prof. Hari Om, Convener, Jammu for India and historian while chairing the session said   that state is indulging in subversion and giving leverage to the Islamic theo fascists and separatists in Kashmir and this has been vindicated by the recent   report of former foreign Minister and BJP leader,Yashwant Sinha.

Indian state is defeating Indian nation in Jammu and Kashmir.

Panun Kashmir is only weapon to defeat Islamic separatism in Kashmir and reverse the genocide of Kashmiri Hindus.

Sushil Pandit, a veteran and seasoned political analyst and founder of Roots in Kashmir lambasted the insincerity of the ruling dispensations over these years towards the hounded Kashmiri Hindus and claimed that it is mere lip service and nothing tangible has been done on ground to impact any change in the state of hapless affairs surrounding this exiled community. Sh Sushil Pandit further added that Panun Kashmir has emerged as the only choice of this exiled community which encompasses the life of dignity, honor.

Religious places vandalized in Kashmir valley?

Over 200 temples in the state suffered damages during past over two decades of militancy with Srinagar witnessing highest number of acts of vandalism.

Of the 438 temples in the Valley, 208 had been damaged over the years.

According to the state government records, 57 temples were damaged in Srinagar, followed by south Kashmir’s Anantnag district where 56 temples suffered damage.

The authorities, however, were silent on those who are responsible for the vandalism and the damage. It has not blamed the temple damages on the militants.

Rehabilitation of Kashmiri  Pandits

Due to onset of militancy in 1990, most of the Kashmiri Pandit families along with some families of Sikhs and Muslims migrated from Kashmir Valley [total of about 57,000 families] to Jammu, Delhi and other places of the country. 

At present there are about 60452 registered Kashmiri migrant families in the country. About 38,119 registered Kashmiri migrant families are residing in Jammu and about 19,338 registered Kashmiri migrant families are living in Delhi and besides Jammu and Delhi, about 1995 families are settled in other states.

At present, the Government has been providing cash relief of Rs. 1650/- per head per month (maximum Rs.6600/- per family per month) plus dry ration (9 Kg. Rice, 2 Kg. Atta per person per month and 1 Kg. Sugar per family per month) to eligible 17,248 families living in Jammu. Expenditure in this respect (approx. Rs. 136 Crore per annum) is being reimbursed by Ministry of Home Affairs under Security Related Expenditure (Return & Rehabilitation) – SRE (R&R). The Government of NCT of Delhi is also providing cash relief of Rs. 1650/- per head per month (maximum Rs.6600/- per family per month) to eligible 3,385 families from their own budget. Other States are providing relief as per scales fixed by them from their own budget. The Government has advised these states also to provide relief at the rate of J&K State.

It has been the Government’s stated Policy to provide various rehabilitation facilities to the Kashmiri migrants and to create an environment conducive enough to make them return to the Valley. The Government has announced various Packages from time to time for the Kashmiri Migrants:

• Under Prime Minister’s Package 2004, 5242 two room tenements have been constructed in Jammu at four locations [Purkhoo, Muthi, Nagrota and Jagti] and have been allotted to the migrants, who were living in various one room tenements, Govt. Buildings, Temples etc. in Jammu. Further, 200 flats have been constructed at Sheikhpora in Budgam district (Kashmir Valley) and have been allotted to the migrants on sharing basis, who have joined the government service under employment component of Prime Minister’s Package 2008. Out of these 200 flats, 31 flats have also been allotted to the local migrants (who migrated from their native places to other places within the Kashmir Valley).

• The Government have announced a Comprehensive Package amounting to Rs. 1618.40 Crore in the year 2008 for return and Rehabilitation of Kashmiri Migrants, which provides for many comprehensive facilities for the migrants e.g. financial assistance for purchase/ construction of houses, repair/ renovation of damaged houses and dilapidated/ unused houses, construction of transit accommodation, Continuations of Cash relief to migrants, students scholarship, Employment, Assistance to the Agriculturists and the Horticulturist and Waiver of interest on unpaid loan etc. As informed by the Government of Jammu & Kashmir, one family has returned to the Valley availing the benefit of Rs. 7.5 Lakh for construction of house under the Package. Further, 1474 state government jobs have been provided to the migrant youths and 505 Transit accommodations have been constructed in the Kashmir Valley and allotted to newly appointed migrant employees. The review of such plans and packages is a continuous process and will continue to remain so in order to remove the bottlenecks and shortcomings, if any.

Total Kashmiri Migrant families registered at Jammu =  38,119 (ending November 2009)

Community wise break up of registration:

	Hindu	Muslim	Sikh	Total
No. of Families	34,202	2,168	1,749	38,119
No. of Souls	1,24,381	10,930	7,113	1,42,424

District wise break up of registration:

S No.	District	Hindu	Muslim	Sikh	Total
1	ANANTNAG	6784	985	80	7849
2	BADGAM	2671	168	336	3175
3	BANDIPUR	379	69	5	453
4	BARAMULA	2997	131	655	3783
5	GANDERBAL	682	35	6	723
6	KULGAM	2734	276	26	3036
7	KUPWARA	2595	209	138	2942
8	PULWAMA	2155	51	160	2366
9	SHOPIAN	1307	59	7	1373
10	SRINAGAR	11898	185	336	12419
	Total Families	34202	2168	1749	38119