Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI, July 5: A delegation of Panun Kashmir (PK) led by its President, Ashwani Kumar Chrungoo today called on Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Union DoNER Minister & MoS PMO Dr Jitendra Singh and sought their intervention to check flaws in Jammu & Kashmir’s militant surrender policy which, they alleged, had led to illegal flow of the so called “surrendered terrorists” from Pakistan and Pak occupied Jammu & Kashmir (PoJK) via Nepal.
The memorandum submitted to the Union Ministers said that earlier also,a number of memorandums on the subject had been submitted by them to the Government of India and even though certain corrective measures were initiated by the concerned authorities, but alleged that in the last few months, this illegal human trafficking had once again shown a rise, resulting in risk to safety, security and national interest of Jammu & Kashmir.
Pertinent to mention that when the so called surrender and rehabilitation policy for militants was introduced by the previous Omar Abdullah Government in Jammu & Kashmir, four notified routes had been identified for the return of such former militants. These included Chakan-Da-Bagh in Poonch district, Salamabad in Baramullah district, Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi and Wagah-Attari in Punjab. Only those militants who chose to surrender through these routes were considered eligible after undergoing a process of “screening” for rehabilitation under the policy, but ironically in the last five years, not a single terrorist had come back to India through these notified routes. Till April this year, around 453 men along with 197 women and 603 children had returned to India through the unrecognized and unidentified route via Nepal.
The memorandum submitted by the Panun Kashmir delegation urged the Government of India to immediately take cognizance of the emerging situation and institute corrective measures.
The memorandum also sought Centre’s intervention to prevail upon the Jammu & Kashmir Government to make public the Gandhi Commission Report on Kishtwar riots of 2013 and initiate necessary follow up action. The other issue raised in the memorandum is the objection against Jammu & Kashmir Government’s practice of observing 13th July as an official Martyrs Day even though it is observed as a black day by the minority Kashmiri Hindu community. The memorandum also referred to the problems faced by Kashmiri Pandit employees engaged in jobs under the Prime Minister’s package in Kashmir valley.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh gave a patient hearing to the Panun Kashmir leaders and assured them of appropriate action by the Government of India. He also advised them to follow up these issues at the Centre through his ministerial colleague Dr. Jitendra Singh.
Ashwani Kumar Chrungoo expressed satisfaction over the meeting with the two Union Ministers and appreciated their sympathetic response. Other members of the delegation who accompanied him included Organization Secretary Kamal Bagati, Senior Leaders Utpal Kaul, Vinod Pandita and Piyush.
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