Ahead of the coming assembly elections in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, political parties have stepped up a campaign to woo the displaced Kashmiri Pandits living in different parts of the country.
Registered as voters of the "migrant category" Kashmiri Pandits are a deciding factor in many assembly seats in Kashmir Valley so political parties are trying to reach out to these voters before assembly polls.
On Wednesday, Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti held an interaction with displaced Kashmiri Pandits in New Delhi and emphasized community-based reconciliatory efforts to bridge the gaps.
On Saturday National Conference (NC) president and former chief minister, Dr. Farooq Abdullah addressed a one-day convention of the Kashmiri Pandit community at Jammu in which issues related to the displaced community were discussed.
Parties used Kashmiri Pandits as vote bank: Farooq
Without naming BJP, Dr. Farooq Abdullah said that displaced Kashmiri Pandits were used as vote bank by different political parties by creating a divide among different communities. He slammed the self-styled Messiahs of Kashmiri Pandits for betraying the community and working against their interests.
"Today they are pretending to be the well-wishers of Kashmiri Pandits, who they are using to strengthen their vote bank", Dr. Farooq Abdullah said and dared them to get the bill, as also the Women Reservation Bill, passed with their strong strength of over 300 members in Parliament.
Referring to the Kashmir situation post-1990, the National Conference president declared that Jammu and Kashmir will never go into the hands of those who believed in achieving this by engineering ethnic cleansing while referring to the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits over three decades ago.
"You have suffered a lot and what happened then had never been even comprehended," Dr. Farooq Abdullah told Kashmiri Pandits.
He recalled the horrendous events of the migration and said how the people of Kashmir felt helpless at times in coming to the rescue of the targeted people. He referred to certain incidents when the neighbours belonging to the majority community save the properties and even lives of their minority brethren at the peril of their lives. He referred to the Wanpoh, Wandhama, and Budgam carnages where poor and innocent people were targeted.
He said the National Conference will continue to work towards the safe and honourable return of Kashmiri Pandits to their homes and hearths.
NC passes resolutions for return, rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits
In the presence of Dr. Farooq Abdullah, the convention passed three resolutions which among others called for the return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri migrant Pandits in the Valley and their political empowerment.
The resolutions, which also demanded the passage of a bill for managing the affairs of temples and shrines of the community, were presented at the start of the day-long convention chaired by party president Farooq Abdullah in Jammu.
"The Kashmiri migrant Pandit community is yearning for their honourable return and rehabilitation for the past three decades. The issue is very important," NC leader Anil Dhar said.
Kashmir is incomplete without Kashmiri Pandits: Mehbooba
On Wednesday Mehbooba Mufti held an interaction with migrant Kashmiri Pandits in New Delhi and stressed community-based reconciliatory efforts to bridge the gaps. Mehbooba said the role of youth was paramount in bringing the young generation of both communities.
Mehbooba said that Kashmir was incomplete without Kashmiri Pandits and that greater and constant communication between the two communities is paramount to bridging the gap.
"Kashmir is incomplete without you. You are part of our culture and existence. Believe me that you are always missed back home. Your exodus has hurt us too and we want you to return in a dignified manner," she said.
Over one lakh voters registered as "migrant category" votes
As per data of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections over one lakh Kashmiri Pandit voters were registered under the "migrant category" in the Valley. Of them, 38,278 voters belong to the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency comprising Srinagar, Ganderbal, and Budgam districts.
Volatile South Kashmir districts of Pulwama, Shopian, Anantnag, and Kulgam segments which fall in Anantnag Lok Sabha seat has 33,957 electors belonging to minority Pandits. The rest were in the Baramulla parliamentary seat. The majority of these voters live in Jammu and Delhi.
