Kashmiri Pandits always welcome to return home: Farooq Abdullah

National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah on Monday said Kashmiri Pandits are always welcome to return to their homes in the Valley, as the displaced community marked the 36th anniversary of their exodus and renewed demands for a comprehensive policy on return and rehabilitation.

However, the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister expressed doubts over whether a large-scale permanent return would materialise, noting that many members of the community have rebuilt their lives elsewhere over the past three decades.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a party programme in Jammu, Abdullah said no one was stopping Kashmiri Pandits from returning. “It is their home. They should come back. Many Kashmiri Pandits never left the Valley and continue to live peacefully in their villages and localities,” he said.

January 19 is observed by Kashmiri Pandits as ‘holocaust day’ to commemorate the mass exodus of the community from the Valley in 1990 following targeted killings and threats by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists.

Addressing protests by displaced Kashmiri Pandits demanding a separate homeland within the Valley, Abdullah said he had earlier assured the community of housing and necessary support. “After the fall of my government, it was for the Centre to implement those assurances,” he added.

He underlined the practical challenges to a full return, pointing out that many Pandit families are now settled across the country. “They have grown older, many require medical care, and their children are studying or working outside. They may visit Kashmir, but I don’t think many will return to live there permanently,” Abdullah said.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Kashmiri Pandits under the banner of ‘Youth 4 Panun Kashmir’ blocked the Jammu–Srinagar national highway near the Jagti camp on Sunday evening, reiterating demands for a separate homeland and a parliamentary resolution recognising what they described as the genocide of the community.

In a related development, Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Singh Choudhary said the NC leadership has consistently supported the return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits. “Kashmir is incomplete without Kashmiri Pandits. Their return will restore the Valley’s brotherhood and composite culture,” he said, expressing hope that the Centre would take an early decision.

All State Kashmiri Pandit Conference (ASKPC) general secretary P.K. Raina said the community has been waiting for justice for 36 years. “We are demanding a clear policy for our dignified return and rehabilitation. We also paid tributes to those who lost their lives in terrorist attacks,” he said.

With PTI inputs