All quiet on Pandit front in Kashmir

M Aamir Khan

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, October 23

Chunni Lal Bhat lives in rented accommodation at Indra Nagar, three km from Lal Chowk. Despite the ongoing unrest, he has been commuting between his home and workplace near Ghanta Ghar in Lal Chowk.

Like several other members of his community, he chose to stay back in the Valley when eruption of militancy 27 years back forced a majority of Pandits to migrate from Kashmir.

Bhat said they were leading a quiet life these days and waiting for normalcy to return so that non-migrant Pandits could put their case before the government yet again.

“During the unrest, all went through a tough time and commuting was difficult. Despite that, I came regularly to this ‘dharmic sanstha’ at Lal Chowk where I work. Non-migrants are a neglected lot and we will resume our fight to seek justice from the government when normalcy returns,” he said.

He said a few recent incidents following the encounter of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani on July 8 were a cause of worry to them, but they would continue to live in the Valley.

“A few incidents worry us because we are in a minority. However, we belong to Kashmir and will continue to live here. When we did not migrate during the peak of militancy, why should we leave now?” he said.

Satish Kumar said he had been attending duties at Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Soura. He had been residing in Indra Nagar, where several non-migrant families stayed.

He said reaching the hospital was no easy task amid protests, but he attended work nevertheless. He said non-migrants were a neglected lot and their issues needed redress.

However, Bhat said the present situation was not right to press for their demands even though they had staged numerous protests in the past.

“Successive governments have given priority only to issues related to the return and rehabilitation of migrants, but those who did not leave Kashmir remain neglected,” said Bhat.

“We have staged protests in the past to get our due and will come on the roads again when the situation improves. Who will listen to our woes in the present times when Kashmir is on the boil?” he added.

Bhat heads the Hindu Welfare Society Kashmir, a body formed in 1999 to press for demands of non-migrant Pandits.

The demands include a comprehensive rehabilitation and employment package for non-migrants and minority status for Pandits.