Ghettoisation Of Pandits Will Defeat The Purpose

A fresh initiative for the return of Kashmiri Pandits to Kashmir has been set in motion.

- Tariq Bhat

On June 12, a delegation of the Pandits met Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who is custodian of the historic Jamia Masjid and chairman of Awami Action Committee (AAC), a faction of the separatist Hurriyat Conference. The delegation sought the help of the Mirwaiz for the resettlement of Pandits. The two sides agreed to form an inter-community committee to take the initiative forward.

Satish Mahaldar, who led the Pandit delegation, told THE WEEK that the committee will also discuss peace and development of Kashmir. Some Pandits have been calling for a separate homeland within Kashmir; Mahaldar said he was aware of the demands of the “fringe” elements. “Whether today or tomorrow, everybody has to fall in line for the sake of peace,” he said. He said that creating separate colonies for Pandits is impractical and not achievable. “We have proposed that some land be allotted in six to seven districts in Kashmir where Pandits can live in flats in multi-storey apartments. That is workable and noncontroversial.”

After the 2014 Kashmir floods, the AAC paid for the reconstruction of 100 houses in Srinagar. The first house it chose was that of professor Moti Lal, a Kashmiri Pandit, at Basant Bagh in Srinagar. Lal was among a few thousand Pandits who stayed put in Kashmir braving militancy and fear. “Kashmiri Pandits whose children are well settled outside will not return,” Lal said. “They took the right decision to leave Kashmir.” He said it was a wrong decision for him to stay put. “My wife is the only Kashmiri Pandit woman who continues to wear a sari,” he said.