Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, Nov 4: Langu-ishing as refugees in various camps of their own country for last 26 years now, the “honourable and dignified’’ return and rehabilitation of internally displaced Kashmiri Pandits to their homeland has become a catchphrase with every politician and successive Central and State Government representatives.
According to sources, though several commitments were made to the Kashmiri migrants by the successive Central and State Governments over the years they failed to fulfill their commitments
“The much talked about PM’s employment package of 6000 jobs announced by former Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh way back in 2008 at Akhnoor has turned out to be a cruel joke with the community as out of 6000 jobs only 2132 posts have been filled during last seven years’’, sources said.
Under the package, the salaries for 3000 posts were to be borne by the State while for the remaining 3000 posts, the Union Government will bear the salary. However, the advertisements were made for only 3000 posts in 2009-10 for which the salary would be borne by Central Government while the State government made hands up saying that due to lack of resources it can’t bear the salaries of another 3000 posts, sources added.
Sources said the State Government went with a proposal to Union Government pleading that it should bear the expenses of the remaining 3000 posts also which the Central Government agreed in principle last year but till date no advertisements for these posts have been made.
Sources said this had generated a lot of resentment among the displaced Pandits who alleged that delaying of the employment package for years together showed its non-seriousness towards the welfare of the community which has been left to mend for itself.
Not only this, the successive Governments failed to evolve a concrete policy on the return and rehabilitation of the community in Valley, sources said.
Sources said even one of the former Prime Ministers I K Gujral during his visit to a migrant camp at Nagrota in 1997 said that his Government will empty the coffers of country for the welfare of the displaced Pandits while other PMs also showed lot of lip sympathy towards this hapless community but all failed to take any concrete step for their rehabilitation in Valley.
Sources said various Committees reports like M L Koul Committee, Inter-Ministerial Committee, Parliamentary Standing Committee and interlocutors reports on return and rehabilitation of Pandits never saw the light of the day.
They said the NC-Congress Government first submitted a return package of Rs 1600 crore to the Centre for migrants in 2008 which was later revised by Rs 5700 crores last year but the same has not been approved till date by the Union Government.
Sources said the displaced Pandits are desperately fighting for their rights and political space for over last two decades but those at the helm of affairs have taken them for granted and they are least bothered for protecting the roots of this miniscule minority of the Kashmir.
The displaced Pandits putting up at Jammu and outside the State accused the Government for its failure in framing a concrete policy on their rehabilitation over the years. During these 26 years one generation of the community has passed away in the hope that a day will certainly come when we will be rehabilitated in our homeland but all our hopes dashed to ground as the successive Governments failed to create conditions which can guarantee our return, alleged Vinod Tickoo a Migrant of Jagti.
The Government instead of taking concrete steps in this regard have played politics with us over these years, he added.
What can be more callousness of the Government towards the community is the fact that the Kashmiri Pandits belonging to Rural Backward Areas (RBA) in Valley have been denied this right by previous NC –Congress regime for reasons best known to them evoking a lot of criticism from the community members, sources added.
Terming it a biased decision, the Kashmiri Pandits felt it is part of a big conspiracy to deprive the community of all opportunities to progress and development under a well calculated plan, sources said.
Ridiculing this, they said, the State Government while taking the decision not to provide backward certificates to the displaced Pandits belonging to backward areas from Valley gave a plea that these people are no longer staying in the Backward areas of Valley and hence can’t claim the backward status. But this argument also reiterated the double standards of the very Government which on the one hand deprived the community to be registered as voters in Jammu on the plea that they belong to Kashmir valley and on the other hand when it comes the grant of backward certificates the Government simply rejects the plea saying that they have left the Valley, they added.
Sources said Kashmiri Pandits have taken this demand to every fora of Government and they are unable to understand the riddle whether their displacement has improved their status or pushed them to backwardness by living in refugee camps.
Virender Raina, a social activist said the Government has failed to take cognizance of KPs plight despite the fact that National Human Rights Commission in a judgment of a case filed by a KP organizations in 1999 said, “acts akin genocide have been committed against Kashmiri Pandits….and genocide type design may exist in the minds and utterances of terrorists in Kashmir’’.
The Government also failed to take cognizance of Amnesty International report which said “ 2.50 lakh Hindus were hounded out of Kashmir by the gun wielding militants and those who were living in Kashmir were also made targets’’, he added.
Instead of licking the scars of these hapless people who lost their nears and dears in militant attacks as well as in the pangs of migration, the political class in the Valley joined the separatists bandwagon in saying that former Governor Jagmohan was behind their migration to exonerate the separatists and militants, alleged Raina .
Another problem the displaced Pandits are facing is that their number in Government services has reduced to a great extent over the years. This number is dwindling day by day. There were 15000 KP employees in State Government and public Sector undertakings in 1990 and it has been reduced to 5000 now as no efforts were made to fill up these posts over the years, said M K Tickoo a displaced employee leader. The representation of the community in Government services barring the 2100 posts filled under PM package is negligible. Thousands of displaced youth turned over age during these years and they are in a total desperation as they have no source of income except the cash doles received by them or their families from Government, he added.
He alleged that the migrant employees are also put to a heavy loss as they are deprived of the benefits of leave salary which the Government employees are entitled to as their migration period is treated on duty. As displacement from their homes and hearths had already added to their mental agony, the official apathy compounded this problem further and they are deprived of this benefit. The plea of the migrant employees that they have not left the Valley out of their sweet will is being turned down.
Sources said community youth is in desperation and families have become fragmented as majority of the displaced youth have now left the State in search of jobs to other states. Some have gone abroad also with a heavy heart as they have come to the conclusion that there is no place for them in present system of the State nor the Union Government has any concrete policy for their rehabilitation, sources added.
The community has also been deprived of political representation and it is negligible in State Legislature as well as Government.
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