On April 7, 2015, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister (CM) Mufti Mohammad Sayeed called on Minister of Home Affairs Rajnath Singh in New Delhi. In the meeting, the return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits back to the Kashmir valley was discussed, among other things. Union Home Minister has reportedly asked the CM to provide land for composite townships for Kashmiri Pandits. The CM, in return, gave assurance to the Home Minister on this issue and has reportedly stated that it will be done at the earliest.

As soon as the news of townships for Pandits was out, Yasin Malik, Chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, held a press conference and vehemently opposed it. Malik is accused in more than 20 cases, including the killing of four Indian Air force officers in 1989.

Kashmir valley observed a complete shutdown on  April 11 against the government’s plan to create “composite townships” in Kashmir for Kashmiri Pandits, who are in exile from the past 25 years. A day before the shutdown, on April 10, there were protests in Srinagar led by Malik.

Hurriyat hawk Syed Ali Shah Geelani while opposing the proposed Pandit resettlement plan, termed it an “RSS [Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh] plan of creating Israeli-type settlements in Jammu and Kashmir.” The separatists were joined by mainstream opposition parties in opposing separate townships in the Kashmir valley for Pandits.

The J&K CM, succumbing to the pressure from separatist groups, said in the Assembly on April 9 that there won’t be any separate townships for the Pandits in the Kashmir valley.

The comparison of townships for Kashmiri Pandits with Israeli settlements is repugnant. Kashmiri Pandits are no Israeli-settlers. They are rightful settlers, the original aborigines of the Kashmir valley with a history of 5,000 years. Kashmiri Pandits have a right of “home” in the valley.

On the subject of Kashmiri Pandits, there seems to be no difference between mainstream politicians and the separatists of the valley. All are united under the garb of so-called Kashmiriyat. Look at the charade of these politicians and separatists. They say Kashmiri Pandits are their brethren and they are welcome in valley. At the same time, they dictate terms to Pandits for their resettlement in Kashmir. If anyone should have a say on how to return back to their homeland, it should be the exiled community of Kashmiri Pandits. They are the ones who got uprooted, they should be the ones who should be consulted and taken into confidence before proposing any plan for their return and rehabilitation.

So far, there’s only been a meeting between a state CM and Union Home Minister. There is just a proposal for townships for resettlement of Pandits. Nothing tangible has been promised to Pandits yet and the valley has erupted over it. This exhibits that communal fanaticism is still prevalent in Kashmir valley (though not all are fanatics) even after more than two decades of armed insurgency.

Time and again, the displacement of Kashmiri Hindu community from Kashmir has been trivialised. Rubbing salt to the wound, Engineer Rashid, Member of Legislative Assembly from Langate constituency of Kupwara district, has demanded an unconditional apology from the minority Pandits for their forced migration from Kashmir. These obnoxious statements from Rashid are not new, who is known for his anti-India propensities even as he holds an office under the Constitution.

The exiled community of Pandits hoped that with the change in the government at the Centre, there would be a positive change concerning issues related to the community. Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance government will complete one year in power on May 26. Kashmiri Pandits are yet to hear from their Prime Minister, who claims to be the Pradhan Sevak.

What happened to Kashmiriyat, Insaniyat and Jamhooriyat which the PM talked about?

The Bharatiya Janata Party is in power in J&K as well. The common minimum programme on which both BJP and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) have agreed to govern the state has nothing substantial about Kashmiri Hindus. It says, “Protecting and fostering ethnic and religious diversity by ensuring the return of Kashmiri Pandits with dignity based on their rights as state subjects and reintegrating as well as absorbing them in the Kashmiri milieu. Reintegration will be a process that will start within the State as well as the civil society, by taking the community into confidence.”

For the resettlement of Pandits, creating a safe environment for them in the valley is indispensable. How will that environment be created? That environment will be created when people like Malik and Bitta Karate are brought to book. That atmosphere will be created when the likes of Geelani will be prosecuted for their role in the Pandit exodus of 1990. Creating a safe environment for Pandits in Kashmir will entail punishing those who are responsible for the homelessness of Pandits. For laying the foundation of a safe future, the past needs to be corrected. Before asking Kashmiri Pandits to move forward, let there be justice first.

The talk of the return of Kashmiri Pandits back to Kashmir is exasperating. These return and rehabilitation plans are humbug till the time the fundamental issue of ethnic cleansing is not addressed. Talking about the resettlement of Pandits in Kashmir, where will the Kashmiri Pandits go? The homes of majority of Pandits were either burned, ransacked, or encroached on. Many Pandits sold their land under duress when they were living in exile under extremely difficult circumstances. Whether it will be townships, smart cities or a separate homeland for Pandits, this ought to be debated extensively by the government with the exiled community.

Does the chhappan inch ki chhati (56-inch chest) have the guts to take on these anti-national separatists head on? Does the chhappan inch ki chhati have the guts to challenge the Islamic fanatic hegemony in the Kashmir valley?