Kashmir’s civil society groups to hold talks with stakeholders

“We have to solve this issue, with taking the people of Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh and Delhi on-board,” said Kashmiri poet Zarief Ahmad Zarief. “We will hold a seminar so that we can come up with a solution over the issue which would be acceptable to everyone.”

He, however, said that nobody is against the return of the pandits. “They (pandits) are part of the society and they can come and settle at their respective places,” he said.

Addressing a joint press conference, the members of different civil society groups said that the plan to rehabilitate them (pandits) in separate colonies “is not a solution” and the civil society will not allow government to establish “separate colonies” for the Kashmiri pandits.

Khuram Parvaiz, a human rights activist and a civil society member said that the state government is “very clearly lying” about the relocation of Kashmir pandits and the civil society would fight against the government proposal.

He said that the group would talk to everyone and get a resolution on the issue.

“We are opposing the government proposal and at the same time we are thinking of creating an alternative and with the consultation of Kashmiri stakeholders here, in Jammu, Delhi and elsewhere, we will devise a new alternative,” he said. “As a civil society we will take a lead and talk to everyone and find the resolution of this issue.”

Some members even said that government is not serious on the issue.

“Everybody is on the same page. Government was not serious in the past, nor they are serious today,” said Kumar Wanchoo, a Kashmir Pandit and an industrialist.

Meanwhile, clashes between the protesters and the security personnel erupted in Maisuma locality of Lalchowk, after police foiled a protest march led by the JKLF Chairman Yasin Malik. A photojournalist got injured when a stone hit him.

As the Malik, along with his supporters started marching towards Lalchowk, police personnel deployed in huge numbers swung into action and detained Malik. The police resorted to tear gas shelling to disperse the protesters.

JKLF had called for protests post Friday prayers, against the government’s proposed “composite townships” for the return of the Kashmir Pandits.