Panun Kashmir demands UT in Kashmir for resettlement

Chandigarh: Displaced Kashmiri Pandits under the banner of Panun Kashmir today made a fresh demand for carving out a Union Territory in Kashmir Valley for their resettlement. In a meeting with Union Home Secretary Anil Goswami in Delhi yesterday, Panun Kashmir rejected the offer of the Home Ministry’s employment package for displaced Kashmiris as part of their rehabilitation process. [caption id=“attachment_1123103” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Kashmiri pandit protest. AFP. [/caption] “We want to delink any package like the employment package offered by the Centre yesterday for our rehabilitation in Kashmir. We want our rehabilitation in Kashmir under the Constitution of India where all Indian laws are implementable. We demand our home land in the shape of Union Territory spreading around northern and eastern part of the Jhelum river,” Panun Kashmir President Ashwani Kumar Chrungoo told reporters here today. They accused the Centre of following “appeasement policy” on Kashmir issue and expressed disappointment over the “feeble” attempts towards their rehabilitation in Kashmir from where they were forced to flee during the rise of terrorism in the Valley. On the recommendations of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs, displaced Kashmiri Pandits yesterday met Home Secretary in Delhi with regard to their rehabilitation issue. “Is it feasible for the government to give jobs if lakhs of members of any community are displaced from any place in the country,” he questioned. During terrorism in Kashmir over two decades ago, a large number of Kashmiri Hindus were forced to leave their houses. “As many as 7 lakh Kashmiri Pandits are now living in Jammu, Delhi and other parts of the country. Some of our members are living in pitiable conditions in migrant camps in Jammu,” Panun Kashmir spokesman Virender Raina said. They also pointed out that despite giving numerous representations to the Centre, their issue of rehabilitation continued to remain unresolved. Panun Kashmir is organising a two-day ‘Exhibition in Exile’ in Panchkula tomorrow which will depict various facets of terrorism in Kashmir and the community’s exodus. PTI