Separatists trying to snowball 'Kashmiri Pandits' issue into controversy: BJP

Srinagar: Asserting that the separatists in the valley were trying to create the issue of the return of Kashmiri Pandits into a full blown controversy, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday assured that a dialogue will be held after an 'appropriate' period of time with the leaders of the community to discuss their honourable, yet safe return. "It's unfortunate that the separatist groups in the valley are trying to create an issue. I have heard the Hurriyat leaders, including Gilani, talking about Kashmiri pandits as an integral part of Kashmir. They are trying to make this issue into a controversy," BJP general secretary Ram Madhav told the media here. Stating that a round of dialogue will be held with the Kashmiri Pandit leadership regarding their return after an 'appropriate' period of time, Madhav added the promise made by the BJP in the Common Minimum Programme of returning the Pandits with honour will be fulfilled. "Kashmiri Pandits have to return to the valley but with security," Madhav said. However, the state government yesterday turned to the Separatist groups and the opposition over exclusive settlements for Pandit migrants. "We have asked them to give us ideas. Everybody is free to give ideas... We have said that Pandits will come and live along with others," said Naeem Akhtar, minister and Jammu and Kashmir government spokesman. While several migrant Pandit groups want exclusive settlements, it is being opposed by many Pandits living in the valley. They say creating ghettos will create more problems than solving one. Jammu and Kashmir governor N N Vohra had said the PDP-BJP government was committed to the return and settlement of displaced persons, including Kashmiri Pandits. Earlier, it came as a shock when Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said there is no land in Kashmir for making Sainik colonies and there is no question of making exclusive colonies for Kashmiri Pandits in the valley, adding if there is a proposal it will have to be the one where everyone is allowed to live together. There are about 62,000 registered Kashmiri Pandit families, who migrated from the Valley due to the onset of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir in the early 1990s. About 40,000 registered Kashmiri migrant families are living in Jammu, around 20,000 in Delhi-NCR and about 2,000 families are settled in other parts of the country.