The return of Kashmiri Pandits to Valley has been a long politically conceived idea by none else than the former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee as part of the peace initiatives in mid-nineties. Vajpayee being a visionary politician who could foresee the repercussions of such a political step that even the mainstream political party which had its members in the Union Government was not comfortable with the proposal. Today in opposition, this mainstream party which ruled the State of Jammu and Kashmir for over five decades kept the proposal under wrap. Late eighties and nineties saw exodus of the Kashmiri Pandit community and the Pakistan-supported militancy flourishing. The political masters of that time had an alibi of ‘disturbed conditions, not conducive’ for the return of the community and peace is imperative. The past three decades saw the struggle going on and nobody spoke of the ‘return of the community’ which today politicians of all colour and creed swear as they are the integral part of the Kashmiriyat without which it is incomplete. Seeing the political fortunes sliding, the mainstream political party must have taken the step to move the resolution in the Legislative Assembly for the return of Kashmiri Pandits as ‘penance’ for the political folly they have played with the people and the State. It was the same party which was opposed to the rehabilitation of the community in seclusion which everyone compared with ghettoisation of Jews by Israel, created fears of change in demography of the Kashmir Valley. All this was being played to win over few votes and keep intact the declining political fortunes which unfortunately didn’t bring the expected fortunes for the party in the 2014 elections. On the other hand the coming together of BJP and PDP as an alternative paid the dividends and the Agenda of Alliance emphasised the ‘return of Kashmiri Pandit community’ as one of the main factors. This is for the first time that such a resolution was taken up in the Legislative Assembly and there was a unanimous voice of approval. Even to bring this unanimity it took so many years and there is no doubt for the community to settle down in the Valley will take same amount of time. Such unanimity is vague and another political ploy to play around.
