SRINAGAR: Ms. Mehbooba Mufti, former Chief Minister of J&K and President, Jammu & Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party called on Lieutenant Governor Shri Manoj Sinha, at Raj Bhawan today.
Ms. Mufti discussed various important matters including smooth conduct of Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra and dignified return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandit Community in the valley.
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.
“The shared pain of their displacement and the yearning for reconciliation bind us all in the belief that Kashmir can once again be a place where communities coexist peacefully. To facilitate meaningful progress on this front, an inclusive and phased roadmap has been attached for your consideration,” she said.