Tulmulla: National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Monday said the people in the Valley want Kashmiri Pandits to return and expressed hope that the day will not be far.
He, however, said that the Pandit community should make efforts in this regard as well.
Abdullah was speaking during his visit to the Kheer Bhawani temple in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district during the annual Mela Kheer Bhawani.
“It is the blessings of this deity that we are seeing brotherhood, which had been missing for many years, prevail again. We pray that the day is not far when Kashmiri Pandits return to their homes and live amongst us,” the three-time chief minister told reporters.
He, however, asserted that the community as well has to make efforts for their return.
“I think people have to try themselves. Unless they make attempts, they cannot come. Preparations have been made, people in the Valley want them to return. We also pray for their early return,” he said.
Abdullah said the government has taken several steps to facilitate the return of Kashmiri Pandits.
PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti also visited the Kheer Bhawani temple in Ganderbal and interacted with Kashmiri Pandits on the occasion of the Kheer Bhawani Mela, urging them to move on and “stop being prisoners of the past”, and rather invest in a shared future with the Muslim community in the valley.
Taking note of the large turnout, the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister emphasised that the people of Kashmir welcome Pandits wholeheartedly. “We want our Kashmiri Pandit brothers and sisters to forget what happened in the past and look forward to the future,” the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chief told the media.
While Mufti was speaking to reporters, another group of Pandits heckled her. They wanted to talk to her, but were not allowed by her entourage.
The Pandits raised slogans such as “Jis Kashmir to khoon se seencha, wo Kashmir hamara hai (The Kashmir that we nurtured with blood, is ours)”. A few of them raised slogans of “Bharat Mata ki Jai”.
One of them asked PDP spokesperson Mohit Bhan, a Kashmiri Pandit himself, why they were not allowed to talk to Mufti. He told them that talks were not held that way when they were sloganeering.
Mufti continued to talk to the reporters and left later.
Taking to X, Mufti described the atmosphere at the Mela as “heartwarming beyond words”, stating that the warmth between the two communities transcended the walls of mistrust built by divisive political agendas.
She highlighted the deeply-rooted, ongoing connections between the two communities, noting that countless Kashmiri Muslims travelling outside the valley for medical treatment are regularly cared for by Kashmiri Pandit doctors.
She specifically lauded prominent doctors who continue to practise medicine in the region. “Equally inspiring are doctors like Sushil Razdan, U Koul and Sameer Koul, who continue to serve patients in Kashmir, especially those unable to travel for treatment. Their work is not just healing bodies, it is helping heal old wounds and rebuild bonds between communities,” she said.
The PDP chief urged younger Pandit doctors to draw inspiration from these figures, reconnect with their roots and visit Kashmir.
She urged the government to provide all facilities to Kashmiri Pandits.
“The government here should provide facilities to the Kashmiri Pandits who have come here or are living here. They are living in one-bedroom flats…. Similarly, Kashmiri Pandits are facing problems in Jagti (in Jammu). There is an issue in the NFSA (National Food Security Act). You cannot treat Kashmiri Pandits at par with other people when it comes to the NFSA. You have to provide all facilities to them which the migrants should get,” she said.
Mufti appealed to people to maintain brotherhood.
“We should not look into the past, but look forward. Also, those who want to use Kashmiri Pandits as a weapon, Kashmiri Pandits should isolate them and they (Pandits) should have direct connections with Kashmiris,” she asserted.
The PDP chief criticised the current living conditions of the community in various camps in Jammu and urged the government to significantly upgrade facilities for both returning and residing Pandits.
