Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 24: Youth All India Kashmiri Samaj (YAIKS) has expressed its total dismay over the continuous neglect of peace loving and patriotic community of Kashmiri Pandits which has entered the 28th year of exile now.
In a meeting here today, the YAIKS president R K Bhat lambasted the State as well as Central Government for their present plight and alleged that for last 28 years the successive Governments failed to restore their homes and hearths to the community. He wanted to know that how long more the community has to lead the exiled life and does their problems have end any where?.
He said that the community has been again neglected in the fourth round of smart city also the announcement of which was made yesterday. He said the community had high expectations that Narendra Modi Government will announce a smart city for it in the 30 such smart cities announced yesterday but this was not done which has pained the community a lot.
Bhat said that YAIKS has already submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister, Union Home Minister and Union Housing Development Minister in this regard and the community was totally disappointed after yesterday’s announcement as no mention of a smart city for displaced pundits was made.
He demanded that Union Government without any delay should announce a smart city for displaced Pandits who are the nationalists to core and have been forced to lead a refugee life for last 28 years now. “We want right to survival, right to live an honourable and dignified life as citizens of India in our homeland in Kashmir and the Government is duty bound ton restore the same”, Bhat added.
He said Pandits have suffered a great travesty and “it is a shame on the part of Indian democracy and secularism that we still lead a refugee life and the successive Governments failed to take us back to Valley and settle their with honour and dignity”. Even the GoI failed to protect the fundamental rights of the community. The Government has sent out feelers of rehabilitation package but it ahs never drawn a comprehensive long term plan in this regard, he added.
He also demanded a probe into the funds which were spent over the years on the name of Pandits. The Government should take a decision for the settlement of the community in by announcing a smart city as how long the community members will remain wandering like nomads from one place to another, he asked?
BK Bhat, Sunil Koul vice presidents YAIKS, Manoj Haqndoo its general secretary, Sanjay Ganjoo and Ajay Safaya its secretaries, D N Bhat, Shiban Krishan, Pushkar Nath Pandita, Mohan Lal and others were present in the meeting.
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