Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, May 3: Admitting that State and Central Governments have done nothing except giving assurances on return and rehabilitation of internally displaced Kashmiri Pandits from Valley, the Central Interlocutors on J&K have recommended construction of composite twin city for Srinagar under the name of NAV Srinagar for the rehabilitation of displaced Pandits in Valley.
In their final and Feed back report submitted to Union Home Ministry for consideration after meting the aggrieved people from various communities in the State during their visit, the two Interlocutors Dilip Padgoankar and Radha Kumar made it clear that the return of internally displaced Pandits can be only possible by settling the entire KP community at a single concentrated place just like Sikhs, Shias etc live in concentrated places in Kashmir.
Expressing concern over the plight of the KP students and youth, the interlocutors have also recommended that the displaced youth be given Government services and colleges.
Admitting that the ethnic cleansing on displaced Pandits was forced on them, the interlocutors made it clear that the return of the community can’t be made under any truncated formula. They strongly advocated for acceptance of the guidelines given by the Working Group on internally displaced people at UN Human Rights Council in this regard.
In their recommendations they further suggested that at least four out of a compendium of fundamentals are of vital importance those are non refloulment, concentrated and comprehensive living, recognition of specific identity and political empowerment with viable means of sustenance.
The interlocutors have urged the Government to implement return formula of Pandits in letter and spirit. They expressed concern that the political, economic and social space of Pandits is shrinking in Valley and also recommended that Pandits should have minority positions in Assembly and Legislative Council of the state.
It may be recalled that the recommendations were made by the two interlocutors Dilip Padgoankar and Rada Kumar after visiting the State last year to have the feed back from the aggrieved people.
They also met a cross section of people in the State including some displaced Pandits who expressed their concern for not taking up the issue of displaced Pandits who are the real victims of the turmoil in the State in their report submitted to Union Home Ministry.
A memorandum to them was also submitted to them by Jammu Kashmir Nationalist Movement, (JKNM) Surinder Ambardar Peace Activist and Political analyst.
The JKNM convener Dr K N Pandita later welcomed the recommendations especially the concept of NAV Srinagar for rehabilitation of displaced People in Valley.
However the recommendations have generated a serious debate among the displaced people while Panun Kashmir factions said that they have already rejected the recommendations as they strongly vouch for separate homeland within Kashmir valley as per the Margdarshan resolution of 1991.
PK convener Dr Agnishekhar, its chairman Dr Ajay Chrungoo and national spokesperson Virender Riana while expressing their surprise over the report asked what is the relevance of this report when already the interlocutors have submitted their report to Union Home Ministry. Moreover, PK stands for homeland and it will not accept any thing short of Margdarshan resolution of 1991, they added.
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