Yearning to Return to Valley, Many Kashmiri Pandits Are Feeling Betrayed by BJP

Staring out of the window, Pushkar Nath (name changed) sipped a hot cup of kehwa and winced. He had a bitter discussion in the morning with his wife over the return of Kashmiri Pandits (KPs). Whenever the topic of resettlement springs up, Nath is unable to hold back and plunges into what he calls a “vicious” argument. Pushkar Nath believes that successive governments have only banked on his community’s longing to return and have done nothing to see this materialise. But his wife is hopeful that one day they will return to Sopore, North Kashmir. Her wish is to die while nestling in the apple orchard. To Nath, his wife is an impetuous woman who can’t understand the politics at play.

The news of resettling migrants back to the valley has once again evoked sentiments of Kashmiri Pandits who, for several years, have pinned their hopes on successive governments but to no avail. This time, too, the KPs are keeping a close watch on how events turn out, but with a great deal of scepticism. Ram Madhav, national general secretary of Bharatiya Janata Party recently affirmed that his party was committed to resettle Kashmiri Pandits who left the valley when insurgency started in 1989. “Their fundamental rights of returning to the valley have to be respected. At the same time, we have to provide them proper security,” Madhav was quoted as saying. 

In 1989, when insurgency broke out in the valley, thousands of Kashmiri Pandits fled for safety after witnessing selective killings and attacks by the militants. Many of them left in the middle of the night, leaving behind their possessions with the hope that they would return one day. Thirty years have passed since then. While their yearning to return has made it to national and local parties’ election manifestos, nothing has been done to execute it. 

Flaring Tension in Kashmir

One of the essential and fundamental conditions for the return of Kashmiri Pandits has been the security situation in the valley. The Narendra Modi government has done nothing in the past five years to ease the situation in the valley to make the return possible. On the contrary, tensions have increased. Recently, the world was witness to escalating tension when India and Pakistan, two nuclear countries, were on the brink of having a war with Kashmir in the backdrop.  For Kashmiri Pandits, if the situation is not safe for the Army and civilians, who will assure them safety?

Ravinder Kaul was 24 when he migrated to Jammu to live in a dilapidated refugee camp. At present, he lives in the Jagti camp. Kaul says that the memory of his land still makes him emotional and he is willing to return, but on his own terms and conditions. Speaking to Newsclick, Kaul said, “First, there has to be a conducive environment for us to return to the valley. We Kashmiri Pandits want to return on our terms and conditions, not those set by political parties. When we migrated, neither the government nor the Army was able to assuage the situation. The question is, if the situation reoccurs, can they now?”

Jagti, one of the largest townships, was constructed in 2008. Situated 13 kilometres from Jammu, it is home to over 5,000 Kashmiri Pandits families. 

A large number of Kashmiri Pandits have been supporting BJP but feel betrayed now. In 2014, a large number of them had voted for the Modi government hoping that the party would make their return to the valley possible. But, five years down the line, there has been no headway in that direction. As a result, support for BJP seems to be waning among a section of KPs.

A retired professor living in Roop Nagar, requesting anonymity, said, “All the promises made by Modi haven’t translated to anything. Kashmiri Pandits had high hopes from Modi and BJP, but now it seems that it is like any another political party which is not concerned about the condition of minorities.”

The promise of transit camps

The debate around separate settlements or clusters for KPs in Kashmir has always stirred a controversy, with separatists and regional political parties opposing the creation of these settlements. Separatists have, time and again, termed these settlements “Israel-type clusters.”

“The separatists, former chief ministers Mehbooba Mufti and Farooq Abdullah and other regional political party leaders say that Kashmiri Pandits are welcome to go back to their homes. What homes? Can somebody tell me? The homes are burnt, encroached. Which homes are you calling us back to? Or is it just a media blitz?”

The identification and demarcation of land for separate colonies of KPs started in 2012-13 but the process was halted after the change in government. Once the BJP assumed power, the government assured that it would get 723 kanals of land identified, but there has been no progress so far.

In February this year, Prime Minister Modi laid the foundation stone for transit accommodation for Kashmiri Pandit migrants at Ganderbal and Bandipora, but there has been no further headway. 

“The government is doing what they have to do. They are making news of our suffering. Kashmiri Pandits should be asked how, when and in what way they want to return. We are not even consulted. We are ready to provide a blueprint to the government, but alas…” says Nath, staring blankly out of the window.