Former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday advocated the reservation of Assembly seats and free land for Kashmiri Pandits to facilitate their dignified return to the Valley, taking the first step towards a thaw in her relations with the BJP-led central government.
The People’s Democratic Party chief held her first interaction in four years with lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha, the Centre’s representative in Jammu and Kashmir, with the Pandits’ return and a safe Amarnath Yatra on top of her agenda.
Her choice of priorities suggests a desperation to rebuild bridges with the Centre, whom she has annoyed in recent weeks by opposing the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty and the conflict with Pakistan following the Pahalgam massacre.
Mehbooba was also involved in a bitter exchange with chief minister Omar Abdullah recently when she portrayed him and his father Farooq Abdullah as BJP stooges for supporting harsh action against Pakistan and demanding the revocation of the Indus Waters Treaty.
On Monday, she petitioned Sinha for an “inclusive and phased road map” for the dignified return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits. She has sent copies of the proposal to Omar and Union home minister Amit Shah.
Mehbooba’s meeting with Sinha comes at a time when scores of Kashmiri Pandits have been heading to the Mata Kheer Bhawani Temple in Tulmulla, Ganderbal, for the annual fair on June 3.
She handed Sinha a letter that said two Assembly seats should be reserved for Pandits in the Valley, and every Pandit family should get half a kanal of free government land in their district of origin. A kanal is an eighth of an acre.
The PDP appears to be the first major political party in the Valley to demand political reservation for the Pandits.
“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,” the letter said.
It added that families whose original homes still exist, but are dilapidated, should be given targeted financial grants or interest-free loans for structural repairs and modernisation.
Mehbooba said such gestures would cleanse the majority Muslim community of the taint that they had not tried hard enough to prevent the Pandits’ forced migration in the 1990s. Most of the Pandit exodus took place while Mehbooba’s father, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, was Union home minister.
“I urge your office to initiate a dialogue-driven process involving representatives from the community, civil society, local leaders and relevant administrative agencies,” the letter said.
“Only through inclusive deliberations can we chart a future where no community feels alienated in their own land.”
Mehbooba also called for amending and strengthening the Prime Minister’s Special Rehabilitation Package so that those posted in high-risk or vulnerable zones have the option of transfer to safer or more stable areas without jeopardising their career progression or benefits.
Around 6,000 migrant Pandits have been given jobs in the Valley on condition that they would not seek transfer out of Kashmir. Many of them want to be shifted to safer places in Jammu following targeted militant attacks.
The PDP chief said that rehabilitation must go beyond physical return and involve the rebuilding of human and emotional bridges, disrupted by decades of separation and mistrust.
She called for an annual “Return and Reconnect” summit that would bring together displaced Kashmiri Pandit families, local communities, government officials, civil society organisations and academic experts.
At a news conference later, Mehbooba said no political process could be complete without Kashmiri Pandits. “This is not just the responsibility of the government but of the people and political parties,” she said.
She also discussed the Amarnath Yatra, scheduled from July 3 to August 9, with the lieutenant governor.
“Kashmiris are concerned after the Pahalgam attack. While you will put in place security for the Yatra, the people of Kashmir also want to be a part of it so that they make it very safe,” she said.
“We also told him (Sinha) to let us know how we as a political party can contribute to the Yatra.”
Mehbooba urged Sinha to release, on the occasion of Eid, political prisoners who do not face serious charges.