J-K: Mehbooba seeks dignified return of Kashmiri Pandits

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Monday sought dignified return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits, saying their reintegration must not be viewed merely as a symbolic return, but as an opportunity to build a shared, inclusive and forward-looking future for Jammu and Kashmir.

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The former chief minister called on Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha at the Raj Bhavan here, her first one-on-one meeting with the LG in about five years, and submitted an "inclusive and phased roadmap" to facilitate "meaningful progress" on the front.

The PDP chief also submitted copies of the proposal to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.

In her proposal, the former J-K CM said every displaced Kashmiri Pandit family should be allotted half-a-kanal (one kanal= 505.87 sq mt) of state land in their district of origin, contingent upon their willingness to return.

The families whose original homes still exist, but are in dilapidated or semi-damaged condition, should be provided targeted financial grants or interest-free loans for structural repairs and modernisation, she added.

She also demanded establishment of two reserved assembly constituencies for the community.

"This issue goes beyond politics and touches the very core of our collective conscience. It is a moral imperative and a societal responsibility to ensure that our Pandit brothers and sisters, who were tragically displaced from their homeland, are provided with the opportunity to return in a manner that is dignified, secure and sustainable," she said in the letter.

Mehbooba said every political party in the union territory, irrespective of ideology, has consistently supported the idea of their return.