Srinagar, Dec 21: In a fresh bid to bridge the divide between Muslims and Kashmiri Pandits, who left the valley in 1990, the Hurriyat Conference (M) has invited migrant KPs living to return to their homeland on the basis of “social guarantee” from the amalgam.
 The Hurriyat leadership has also assured KPs that the amalgam will help restore their properties in the valley. The invitation was extended during a ‘people to people contact’ re-started by Hurriyat (M) after it was left mid-way in 2005.
 “We met at least 400 people in Jammu including migrant KPs, Dogras and Sikhs. The exercise was left mid-way in 2005 due to some reasons and we couldn’t re-start it because of three consecutive summer unrests,” said Syed Saleem Geelani, senior Hurriyat (M) leader, who has been appointed as an interlocutor between KPs and Muslims by the chairman of the amalgam, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.
 Geelani-led Hurriyat (M) delegation was recently in Jammu to hold series of interactions with the KPs and other members of the civil society.
 “Majority of the members we met were KPs. They expressed full faith in us,” Geelani said. “They expressed serious concern over the fact that majority of their land and properties have been illegally encroached in Kashmir. They urged Hurriyat leadership to help restoration of their properties so that they could come back and live in their own homes.”
 He said the Hurriyat leaders made it clear before the KPs that, “the amalgam doesn’t believe in the slogan of separate homeland for KPs.” “We made it clear to the KPs that Hurriyat was ready to help them socially if they return to their homes.  We told them if their properties have been illegally encroached, Hurriyat leadership will put in its best to get the same restored,” he said.
 Geelani said they urged the KP members to return on the “social guarantee” of Hurriyat. “We observed that there are three factions of KPs—one is already settled outside, another is adjusted in Jammu but the third one is still downtrodden and living in camps,” Geelani said. He said the main aim of the Hurriyat move is to do away with the impression that “Kashmiris were party to the migration of KPs.”
 “During our interactions, we made it clear that Hurriyat doesn’t want to project the Kashmir issue on the basis of religion. We are for the resolution of the issue taking on board all stakeholders irrespective of caste and religion,” he said. “We told KPs that they have the same right on Kashmir as Muslims have. Similarly, a Sikh living in Kashmir also has similar rights.”
 Admitting that they met the Hurriyat delegation, a migrant KP, Desh Ratan Pandita said they expressed the same apprehensions before the Hurriyat delegation as they did in 2005. “We told the Hurriyat leaders that our properties have been gobbled. We want our properties back so that we could return,” he said. “We support the Hurriyat program, but want something concrete on ground.”
 He said the Hurriyat’s invite is only acceptable to them when the amalgam helps them re-settle with the Muslim brethren with full honor and dignity. “For that, we need to live in our own homes,” Pandita said.

Lastupdate on : Fri, 21 Dec 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 21 Dec 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 22 Dec 2012 00:00:00 IST