Ajay Kumar Sadhotra on Tuesday asked the BJP to walk the talk on this important issue, saying there is no space for indulging in rhetoric or playing to the galleries, as 32 long years have already passed without any concrete steps taken for the return of Kashmiri Pandits to their homes and hearths.

 

In a statement to Kashmir News Service (KNS) Sadhotra said: “The return of KPs should not be just a political slogan but a mission to restore the pride of the Valley as a beautiful vase of different flowers”.

Mr Sadhotra said that the painful and unfortunate exodus of the Kashmiri Pandits should not be allowed to become just the subject matter of politics and called for united efforts to secure their safe and dignified return to the Valley in a time bound manner.

 

He said the Centre should come up with a policy on return of the Kashmiri Pandits by taking all the stakeholders into confidence. Aconducive and secured atmosphere is needed to be created to achieve the objective. The Valley might have undergone turbulent times during the past over three decades but the ethos of harmony and inclusiveness remains intact, which is evident from the fact that the majority community is craving for the good old times to return back again. He hoped the people will rise above everything else and work towards reviving and revitalizing the spirit of Kashmiriyat.

 

Mr Ajay Sadhotra said the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits is humanitarian issue, which has always remained a matter of concern for all those believing in the concept of Kashmiriyat. In this context, he referred to the resolution moved by the former Chief Minister Mr Omar Abdullah in the Legislative Assembly on January 19, 2017 for creating an atmosphere so that the migrant Kashmiri Pandits could be brought back to their homes in the Valley. That the resolution of Mr Omar Abdullah was adopted unanimously by the assembly speaks of the will and determination of the people through their representatives to address this pivotal issue. He also recalled the oft repeated assertions of the National Conference President Dr Farooq Abdullah that Kashmir without Kashmiri Pandits was incomplete as they were integral to its glorious ethos.

 

The former minister made a passionate and fervent appeal to the people, as also to the political establishment, to rise above party politics and work towards restoring pristine glory of Kashmir, the land of suffis and saints, and abode of various faiths, by facilitating the return of Kashmir Pandits, who form an inalienable part of the Kashmir society. The bondage between different sections in the Valley have withstood the test of times, even after the unfortunate exodus of a community. He said the National Conference will continue to play its designated role in ensuring the return of the displaced people to their homes.(KNS)