The Government of India has proposed a plan to rehabilitate displaced Kashmiri Pandits (a Hindu community native to Kashmir) by restoring their residential status in the Valley. The plan includes setting up of townships on lands provided by the state government. The state government has assured support to the plan and promised acquisition and provision of land at the earliest for composite townships. The townships would include schools, shopping malls, hospitals and playgrounds. Kashmiri Pandits were natives to the Kashmir region that belonged to the Hindu community. Pakistan has objected to the plan of Indian Government. Kashmiri Islamist separatist leaders such as Yasin Malik, Chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, Syed Ali Shah Geelani have opposed the plan. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the Chairman of the Hurriyat (Mirwaiz group) has demanded that returning Kashmiri Pandits should live along with Kashmiri Muslims.
Those who are opposing the new plan are proposing mixed colonies of Kashmiri Pandits and Kashmiri Muslims and are opposing separate localities for each community. In this context, the Voice of Vitasta issued a statement and Sri. Rakesh Koul released the following statement. “The rehabilitation of displaced Kashmiri Pandits is pending from last 25 years and the rehabilitation proposal of Central government is a very positive step. Islamic fundamentalism was responsible for the ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Pandits in 1990. Pakistan government, Islamic fundamentalist, Pro-Pakistani and Anti-India forces planned and unleased ethnic cleansing resulting in displacement of more than five lakh Kashmiri Pandits from their homes. Kashmiri Muslims, political parties and state governments have opposed or maintained tactical silence towards any plan of bringing back Kashmiri Pandits to their homes.
The majority community in Kashmir has never shown any interest nor taken any step towards the return of the Kashmiri Pandits. If separatist leaders have spoken supporting the return of the Kashmiri Pandits in any national or international forums, it is only with a purpose of building a clean media image. The fact that few hundreds of Kashmiri Pandits have continued to live in their homes amidst the calamity does not prove the secular credentials of Kashmiri Muslims. Majority of them have accepted government jobs under unfair terms and conditions and the remaining Pandits are living a submissive life in constrained environments. There is a high security risk for displaced Kashmiri Pandits in the Kashmir. The security of Pandits is more fragile in mixed localities. Exclusive townships for Kashmiri Pandits are not only a necessity but additional arrangements are necessary for successful implementation of a meaningful rehabilitation plan. A successful rehabilitation plan requires not one township but at least three townships geographically separated but interconnected with each other. The townships must be isolated from the terrorists reach, self-contained in all respects and should be well protected from attacks and security threats. Each town ship should be formed as an assembly segment and should be represented by a member in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly.
Three of the townships may be combined together as a parliament constituency and should be represented by a member in the Indian Parliament. The state assembly should pass the bill to provide the minority status to Kashmiri Pandits and the assembly segments of the townships are to be reserved for Kashmiri Pandits. Kashmiri Pandits have rights to live in their native state. They are committed to return to their homes and rehabilitation is inevitable. The terms and conditions of the rehabilitation would be decided by the Kashmiri Pandits and not by other Kashmiris or by Governments. State or central government should include the members of the community in any decision regarding their settlement. All those who are concerned about the welfare of Jammu And Kashmir State are invited to come forward and support the decision of Kashmir Pandits in this regard.”