Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 7: A meeting of the Executive Committee of the Kashmiri Pandit Sabha (KPS) Jammu was held today under the chairmanship of it’s president K. K. Khosa to discuss certain pressing issues pertaining to the community and the strategy to be adopted for their urgent redressal.
The members resolved that the Sabha must appeal all political parties especially the Valley based regional parties to spell out their policies and proposals for the return and rehabilitation of the Pandits in the Valley in the near future. The members noted with concern that none of the political parties, be they regional or national have flagged the return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits to the Valley in their respective manifestos. This is not only disgusting but is equally disappointing, given the tall announcements made by almost all the parties repeatedly that Kashmir Valley is incomplete without Kashmiri Pandits and they would make efforts to resettle the beleaguered community with honour dignity and full sense of security if they come to power.
The members expressed their disappointment over the fact that in spite of repeated requests and submissions of memorandums to both the UT Government and the GoI all pressing issues have remained callously unaddressed resulting in further dispersal of the miniscule community to other parts of the nation in search of employment opportunities. There has been no hike in relief amount for the past many years which has been both physically and mentally traumatic for a section of the community.
The meeting said that large number of temples and shrines continue to remain vulnerable in the absence of any statutory board as has been demanded by the community for more than two decades. Although a large number of Pandits are eligible to cast their votes in all three Kashmir Parliamentary constituencies yet none of the political parties have deemed it proper to nominate any individual belonging to the minority community to contest from the Valley. This would have sent clear message that the Kashmiri Pandits have their inalienable right to resettle in the land of their forefathers.
The members present includes, Deepak Dhar (senior vice president), Ashwani Kaul (vice-president), S. L. Bagati (general secretary), G. J. Kampasi (secretary), Ashok Kher, B. B. Gosani, V. K. Bakshi, Satish Khoda, Vinod Bhat, V. K. Mukhi, R. K. Ganjoo and B. L. Rawal.
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