Where’s the promised land for Kashmiri Pandits?

For the past 26 years, every political party has played with the issue of resettling Kashmiri Pandits in Kashmir for their own interests. And every time, once the votes have been counted, the issue goes into cold storage. Indian National Congress (INC), National Conference (NC) and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) are especially guilty of this and as the nation celebrated two years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) joined this list.

The opposition to resettlement

When reports came in of land being identified in Kashmir for displaced Kashmiri Pandits, there were a lot of raucous voices from several quarters. Press Trust of India (PTI) recently reported that three sites have been identified in north, central and south Kashmir by the Jammu and Kashmir government for establishment of colonies for exiled Pandits. In North Kashmir, more than 200 kanals of land at Kanispora Johema on the outskirts of Baramulla district has been identified. The land is yet to be finalised in central and south Kashmir.

Separatist groups led by Yasin Malik, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Syed Ali Shah Geelani joined hands against the proposed colonies/townships and gave a call for shutdown and protest. They have alleged that India, like always, is trying to change the demography of Jammu and Kashmir with this move. The statement issued by separatists said,

“The policy makers of India fully know that sooner or later they have to accept the plebiscite demand of Jammu & Kashmir people and they (India) also understand that the end result of the referendum process will not be in their favour. So under a planned manner they are trying to change the demography of the state and convert Muslim majority into minorities in which the local pro-India parties, particularly the ruling party PDP, are extending their every possible support to them. The policy makers of India want to settle non-state subjects in the state. Creation of Sainik colonies and separate townships for Pandits is a part of this policy.”

Last year, in April, the same controversy was created by Kashmiri separatists when Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had reportedly asked then Chief Minister of J&K, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed to provide land for townships for Pandits in Kashmir.  Separatist groups responded in a similar fashion and the valley observed complete shutdown.

The voices from separatist groups are bolstered by the opposition – J&K National Conference – on the matter of separate colonies/townships for Pandits. National Conference has said that the separate townships are unacceptable.  Congress echoed similar sentiments. Professor Saif-ud-Din Soz, former Union Minister and Congress leader, said that a separate colony is not going to solve problems of Kashmiri Pandits.

After strong objections from the separatists and the Opposition parties, the state government buckled and clarified that there won’t be any exclusive colonies for Pandits in Kashmir.  BJP’s member of legislative council (MLC) and sole representative of Kashmiri Pandits in the legislature said that it is the prerogative of Kashmiri Pandits to decide on the return module. However, he seems to be a lone voice countering the claims of his government.

What Kashmiri Pandits say?

Sushant Dhar, a young Kashmiri Pandit from Anantnag and currently living in Jammu, sounded infuriated with the recent proposal of townships for Pandits in Kashmir. He says, “I have become good in semantics over the years. Every year we have something to take away, a new word for our diary of words – ‘Satellite Townships’, ‘Cluster Structures’, ‘Composite Township’, ‘Dignified Return’, ‘Return and Rehabilitation’. Yes, the government has to start from somewhere and who knows if they are serious. They are constructing these townships for last five years. We can only wait.” Hinting at the current situation in Kashmir, he insists, “The Government of India must find an effective treatment for the growing disease. The gangrene is turning moist.”

The recent talk of resettlement of Kashmiri Pandits is a soap opera according to Siddharth Kaul, a Banglore-based Kashmiri Pandit originally from Baramulla. He is often found disapproving of Narendra Modi and BJP over social media. He says that the interesting part of this soap opera is how BJP, both at the centre and the state, handles this issue; to use the cliché – the real test of Modi.

However, another Kashmiri Pandit named Rahul Bagati, originally from Kupwara and presently based in Delhi, has welcomed the proposal of townships for Kashmiri Pandits. He says, “After 26 years, there is something concrete happening on the ground. But, a township will not solve the return issue. For resettlement to happen, there needs to be adequate arrangements for employment, health, education, and political representation of Pandits. Any step to make them return without these will be injustice. Think of a Pandit who runs a small shop in a camp or works with a local store. If they move to these townships what happens to their livelihood. If no steps are taken to help them, the resettlement will be temporary. Resettlement shouldn’t be building few buildings and expecting Kashmiri Pandits to move in.”

Is there any hope from current government – both state and centre – with respect to issues pertaining to Pandits? Bharatiya Janata Party and the current dispensation have said many a time that they are committed to bring back Kashmiri Pandits to Kashmir with dignity and honour. “Narendra Modi’s rise gave a glimmer of hope to KPs,” said Kaul. “But his government did not waste any time in making its strategy clear by getting into an alliance with PDP, a quasi-separatist party. BJP is looking at a larger picture – mass vote base. In that way, BJP policy is no different from Congress or National Conference vis-à-vis Pandits. For the sake of comparison, at present, the situation in Kashmir is how it was in 1989 – Narendra Modi is Rajiv Gandhi and Mehbooba Mufti is Farooq Abdullah. We know what followed.”

No blue-print for resettlement

Time and again, the government talks about resettlement of Pandits in Kashmir. However, there is no blueprint for their return. No plan has been shared with the Pandit community either. Above all, it is the right of Pandits as how they want to resettle back in their homeland.

NDA government, in its first budget of 2014-15, earmarked a fund of Rs. 500 crore for rehabilitation of displaced Kashmiri Pandits. In the Union Budget of 2015-16, Rs 580 crore was allocated for rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits. However, only Rs 280 crore was provided while Rs 300 crore remained unutilised. Besides this, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a package of over Rs 80,000 crore for the state during his visit to Kashmir Valley in November last year, of which Rs 5,263 crore was meant for security and welfare of displaced people of the state.

NDA is pursuing UPA’s approach by doling out packages and funds for Kashmiri Pandits instead of tackling the issue heads on. The UPA Government had announced a comprehensive package amounting to Rs 1618 crore in the year 2008 for return and rehabilitation of displaced Kashmiris. On May 28, 2016, the Minister for Revenue, Relief and Rehabilitation Syed Basharat Bukhari informed the J&K Assembly that only two Pandit families have returned to Kashmir so far.

What is the best way to ensure Pandits the freedom to return in the long run? Will it be a separate homeland as demanded by section of Pandits or townships at different places? While talking about townships, how will the government ensure security of Pandits? Returning to a pre-1990 condition is not an option since there are no homes to return to if we talk about pre-1990 condition as many Pandit families have sold their properties. What about the employment of Pandits? Has the government thought about those Pandits who are making livelihood on their own outside Kashmir? What will happen to education of kids who are studying in Jammu schools or elsewhere? What about healthcare facilities? Has the government ensured Pandits won’t face any kind of backlash in Kashmir? Can there be a safe return if many sections of society are opposing the township plan? Is Kashmiri society willing to cede space to Pandits? What about representation of Pandits in the polity of the state? Given the complexity of issue, no one knows what can be the optimal way.

In a video released recently, Hizbul Mujahideen’s militant commander Burhan Muzaffar Wani has warned of attack if townships for Pandits are set up in Kashmir. The resettlement of Pandits is proposed at a time when there has been surge in new kind of militancy in Kashmir involving young local Muslims. What’s the government’s agenda? We are not moving herds of animals from one place to another. We are talking about human lives here. Sadly, there is not any light across the Jawahar tunnel for Kashmiri Pandits living in exile.