Kashmiri Pandits oppose rebels’ surrender and rehabilitation
March 8th, 2010 - 12:21 am ICT by IANS
Chandigarh, March 7 (IANS) Strongly condemning the proposed surrender and rehabilitation policy for militants returning from Pakistan-administered Kashmir, an organisation of Kashmiri Pandits Sunday said this policy would pose a serious threat for the national security.
“We are totally against the surrender and rehabilitation policy pursued by the Jammu and Kashmir government, with an encouraging attitude of the union government, towards the terrorists of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK),” All India Kashmiri Samaj (AIKS) president Moti Koul said.
“This policy certainly has countless security implications. There is every danger that the hardcore terrorists and fundamentalists might make their way to the valley under this amnesty scheme and create mayhem not only in Kashmir but in rest of India as well,” he added.
Koul was in this city to participate in a meeting to discuss the issues confronting the Kashmiri Pandit migrants living in exile in other states, for the last two decades.
AIKS is an apex organisation of Kashmiri Pandits having nearly 80 affiliates in India and abroad.
“It is really strange that the government has a soft corner towards the militants whereas the peace loving Kashmiri Pandits have been languishing due to their ignorance for the last 20 years,” Koul lamented.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah last month said that the government should seriously consider the return of militants from Pakistan-administered Kashmir to bring normalcy to the state.
Following this, Home Minister P. Chidambaram expressed the government’s inclination to make possible the return of all Kashmiri youths willing to come back and denounce militancy.
Koul also criticised the government for ignoring Kashmiri Pandits and demanded political empowerment of the displaced people of his community.
“We have a very little prospect of going back to the valley in near future under the shadow of gun and it is imperative for the government to politically rehabilitate us. Adequate political space should be provided for Kashmiri Pandits in legislative institutions and civic bodies in J&K,” he demanded.
“Still the government is giving us step-motherly treatment. In the last two decades nearly 100,000 jobs have been generated in the state but people from our community have got only 400 jobs and that too in the fourth class categories,” he added.
Koul claimed that over 2000 temples and other Hindu shrines have been looted due to the apathy of the state government.
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Tags: amnesty scheme, apex organisation, hardcore terrorists, home minister, inclination, jammu and kashmir government, kashmir, kashmir chief minister, koul, living in exile, migrants, militants, moti, normalcy, p chidambaram, political empowerment, rehabilitation policy, samaj, security implications, union government