Vivek Koul
The unabated targeted attacks on Kashmiri Pandits and other non-local Hindus in recent months has sent shockwaves among the minority community residing in trouble-torn Kashmir division. The series of targeted attacks, forcing hundreds of members of Hindu minority community to flee Kashmir, have dented the BJP government’s often repeated normalcy narrative that situation has improved after the revocation of special status of the erstwhile state under Article-370 in August 2019. The uprooted exiled Kashmiri Pandit community is once again struggling for their existence as PM package employees who constitutes an important part of the whole KP community, are on roads and protesting in support of their relocation demand since the martyrdom of one of their colleague Rahul Bhat on 12th May this year. The package employees unequivocally stated that they cannot live and work in an uncertain and volatile environment of Kashmir where Kashmiri Pandits are being killed by the radical brute forces without any respite. Now the recent killings of non locals in Kashmir have developed a sense of insecurity among them with the result they are not in a condition to do justice to their jobs as well as families. However, the PM package employees are agitating in the most democratic and constitutional way under the banner of All Migrants (Displaced) Employees Association Kashmir (AMEAK) in support of their relocation demand. The Kashmiri Pandit organizations, KP community leaders, intellectuals and other stalwarts have extended their full support to these agitating employees and have requested the LG administration to accede to the relocation demand of these migrant employees. Further, the protesting package employees have resolved that they will continue their stir till the only legitimate demand of their relocation is met. But unfortunately, there is a stoic silence on the part of LG administration with regard to the relocation demand of PM Package employees who are on sit-in protest from the last 110 days. One fails to understand as to why the centre government is overlooking and disregarding the genuine demand of these Package employees despite knowing the fact that the ground situation in Kashmir is not conducive for the working and living of these hapless employees. Amid selective and targeted killings in Kashmir, the Kashmiri Pandit employees posted in Kashmir valley have been caught in an unpalatable situation as they are unable to decide between life and livelihood. By not paying heed towards the sad plight of Package employees, the authorities at the helm of affairs is only compounding their problems and therefore these package employees are being left in lurch. Due to threat perception and deteriorating security scenario in Kashmir, the Kashmiri Pandit Package employees are peacefully protesting in the office premises of Relief Commissioners Migrant Office Jammu for their relocation outside Kashmir valley. But to the utter dismay, the government has turned a complete blind eye over pain and sufferings of package employees. The only prime demand of the package employees is relocation outside Kashmir so the government should frame a committee for the implementation of transfer policy for them. To be more precise, the package employees are not demanding accommodations, promotions or any other service related favour from the government but are only demanding their safety and security. Undoubtedly, the killing of an employee at their workplace is a very serious issue and a grave concern & thus this bizzare situation have to be dealt with an iron hand. In Kashmir, the PM package and other non local employees are being killed at their workplaces by the Pakistani Jehadi forces and this creates fear physcosis among all valley based Kashmiri Pandit migrant employees. The situation in valley is so grave due to selective killings of religious minorities and therefore the patriotic KP Package employees are at the receiving end and are more vulnerable as these nationalist package employees are soft targets for terrorists. There is total unprecedented and uncertain situation in Kashmir as far as Hindu minorities is concerned. The national media is only showing the portrayed normalcy picture of Kashmir but the ground reality is something different. The inflow of huge number of tourists in Kashmir is not going to depict the actual situation in Kashmir. The government is only making KP package employees as experimental animals at the altar of secular democracy. In Kashmir, these Pandit package employees are paying the heavy price of being patriotic and nationalistic to the core and thus are being killed by the terrorists. These employees are now begging and requesting the LG administration and centre government to ensure their Right to Life by shifting/attaching them to Relief Commissioner’s Migrant Office Jammu.
Unarguably, the microscopic Kashmiri Pandit community have already suffered a lot during 33 years of forced exodus and the mental trauma that they had gone through during 1990s are still embedded in their minds. Former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh announced an economic package for unemployed Kashmiri Pandits on humanitarian and compassionate grounds. The economic condition of exiled KP community at that time was not so sound and thus an economic package was implemented in 2008 by the then Congress government to ease pain and sufferings of these victims of genocide. But very cleverly various regimes and parties in J&K exploited the helplessness, urge and needs of Kashmiri Pandit package employees and all this resulted into a failed rehabilitation package. The PM job package has now turned into a ‘Punishment Package’ for KPs. It is very disturbing that this employment package proves damp squib initiative for displaced KP youths. It is very sad state of affairs that even BJP centre government is unmoved and unstirred over the sad plight of package employees and not paying any sort of heed towards relocation demand. The hard fact of the matter is that the BJP centre government may feel embarrassed in front of opposition parties in case if they shift/transfer all package employees to Jammu. It is high time now that the centre government must keep aside its ego and prestige & temporarily adjust all these package employees in Jammu province in order to stop any further bloodshed. This way the BJP centre government can win hearts and minds of thousands of Kashmiri Pandits and thus rightly by relocating these package employees outside valley will ensure their ‘Right to Life’. It may not be out of context to mention here that the pain and miseries of Kashmiri Pandits is being exploited to push a political narrative always and the BJP government is habitual of raising the Kashmiri Pandit rehabilitation issue only to derive political dividends in other states. Moreover, the KP package employees who are considered the brand ambassadors of peace in Kashmir are suffering very badly as they are being completely forgotten by the centre government as well as LG administration of J&K UT at present. These package employees are agitating for their survival and existence, thus their relocation to Jammu demand must be fulfilled immediately and their services be utilised in various wings of Relief Commissioners Migrant Office Jammu. Government should understand that these KP Package employees have already contributed immensely for the development of Kashmir valley by providing yeomen’s service from the 12 years since the inception of PM Package. And now when their lives are at risk in Kashmir, the government should come forward to rescue them and safeguard their precious lives by transferring all these employees to Jammu province. It is the sole and prime responsibility of the government to protect their lives and ensure their ‘Right to Life’ as enshrined in the Article-21 of the Indian constitution. For the resettlement of Pandits, creating a safe environment for them in the valley is indispensable. Rhetoric to the return of KPs, the centre government must take some corrective measures with regard to the safe rehabilitation of the whole 7 lakh KP community and once the whole community gets resettled back in Kashmir at one place settlement then only PM package employees can work there with full dignity and honour. Till then the BJP centre government must temporarily adjust all these package employees in Relief Commissioner’s Migrant Office Jammu and subsequently LG administration should initiate dialogue with them as these package KP employees are the genuine stakeholders because they are working in Kashmir at ground level.