Mehbooba meets L-G Sinha, calls for dignified return of Kashmiri Pandits

Former Chief Minister and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti — in her first one-on-one meeting with J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday — called for the dignified return and rehabilitation of the Kashmiri Pandit community. “The issue goes beyond politics and touches the very core of our collective conscience,” Mufti who submitted a letter to Sinha said. “It is a moral imperative and a societal responsibility to ensure that our Pandit brothers and sisters, who were tragically displaced from their homeland, are provided with the opportunity to return in a manner that is dignified, secure and sustainable.” It was Mehbooba Mufti’s first one-on-one meeting since Sinha took oath as the Lieutenant Governor of JK in 2020. The former CM termed the issue “of vital importance to Jammu and Kashmir’s social and cultural fabric.” Mufti said every political party in Jammu and Kashmir, irrespective of ideology, has consistently supported the idea of their return. “The shared pain of their displacement and the yearning for reconciliation bind us all in the belief that Kashmir can once again be a place where communities coexist peacefully,” she said while also marking copies of the letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. She also presented an “inclusive and phased roadmap” to “facilitate meaningful progress.” “This proposal emphasises an all-stakeholders approach, ensuring that any policy or plan pitched is rooted in empathy, mutual trust and most importantly, the on- ground realities,” Mufti said. Mehbooba Mufti urged the L-G office “to initiate a dialogue-driven process involving representatives from the community, civil society, local leaders and relevant administrative agencies.” “Only through inclusive deliberations can we chart a future where no community feels alienated in their own land,” she said. In the roadmap which she presented to the L-G, Mufti said, “Reintegration of Kashmiri Pandits must not be viewed merely as a symbolic return to their ancestral homes, but rather as an opportunity to build a shared, inclusive and forward-looking future for Jammu and Kashmir.” “It represents not only the restoration of a displaced community’s rights and dignity, but also the revitalisation of the region’s pluralistic heritage that once stood as a testament to coexistence, harmony and cultural richness,” she said. Mufti, citing data from the Relief O?ce established by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir in 1990, said 44,167 migrant families were o?cially registered as having fled the Valley due to security threats. “Of these, 39,782 families (approximately 90 per cent) were from the Kashmiri Pandit community,” she said, adding that by 2020, the Ministry of Home A?airs reported that the number of displaced Kashmiri Pandit families had risen to 64,951.

J & K