Kashmiri Pandit organisations have welcomed the amended domicile laws and called upon the Government of India to rehabilitate Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley as soon as possible.
Kashmiri Pandits associations and individuals welcomed the new domicile rules for Jammu & Kashmir on May 21 and called it an important milestone in the nation’s history.
“We welcome the new domicile law since all the sons and daughters of the soil, who had left or were forced to leave their homeland from 1931 onwards, will now be the beneficiaries,” said Satish Mahaldar, Chairman, Reconciliation, Return and Rehabilitations of Migrants.
“The new domicile rules will go a long way in addressing some of the grave issues being faced by the persecuted community. Not only does it end the discrimination towards women, and Scheduled Castes, it also sets in a fair agenda for the upcoming generation of the Kashmiri Pandits, Sikhs, etc. born post-1990, who were finding it difficult to obtain domicile certificates due to certain vested hostile elements in the Valley”, he added.
The organisation ‘Reconciliation, Return and Rehabilitations of Migrants’ demanded that people of Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) should be include in the new domicile rule.
Satish Mahaldar also condemned the statements of the individuals & political parties who are opposing new domicile law and said, “This exposes the mental state of individuals as to how these political organisations & individuals are against minorities fundamental rights, rather than protecting the fundamental rights of minorities such political organisations & individuals have always exploited them for their self-benefits”.
Satish Mahaldar has condemned the statements of the individuals & political parties who are opposing new domicile law saying it shows how they are against fundamental rights of minorities, and have always exploited them for their self-benefits.
Satish Mahaldar, Chairman, Reconciliation, Return and Rehabilitations of Migrants
Reminding the return and rehabilitation promise
Mahaldar said that since Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said that Kashmiri Pandits will be rehabilitated in the ten districts of the Valley, the Government of India should immediately notify the land towards this across the ten districts of the Kashmir Valley.
“Our constitutional and fundamental rights have not been protected being a minority in Kashmir Valley. Therefore, we seek minority status for the minorities in Kashmir, which includes the Kashmiri Pandits, Sikhs and others. We demand that ten seats be reserved for us in the Assembly,” said Mahaldar.
Reservation for minorities in Kashmir Valley
The chairman said that being a minority in Kashmir, we want 30 per cent seats to be reserved for Kashmiri Pandit migrants and Sikh migrants in all professional colleges of J&K. Satish Mahaldar has demanded a special quota in jobs too like the SC/ST or a similar category so that the victims of terrorism are uplifted and justice is delivered.
“We demand that the Government of India/ State government provide any industrial land to Kashmir Pandit migrants to set up industry towards their economic rehabilitation in the Valley. We urge Government of India to immediately sanction minimum 400 acres of land for Kashmiri Pandits, 100 acres for Kashmiri Sikhs and 50 acres for Kashmiri Buddhists, which should be allocated/reserved for the Kashmiri migrants/minorities, who want to set up industry in Kashmir at a nominal cost”, he also said.
Demand for the restoration of temples and land to set up Sharda University
Satish Mahaldar has urged the Government of India to sanction 20 acres of land and Rs 200 crore to set up the Sharda University in Kashmir. Sharada University had been a heritage of Kashmir (Asia) in teaching Vedic literature, Ayush & spirituality. This would help them to revive the ancient heritage of the entire Asia & the J&K state.
Most of the temples in the Valley are approximately 5,000 years old as mentioned in the Rajtrangani, the oldest recorded history on Kashmir and keeping this in mind the organisation has demanded to restore the temples and should be brought under the ASI control.
In this year’s budget, it has been proposed to introduce the following three religious circuits: Shankaracharya, Mata Khir Bhawani, Martand (Mattan). But we request that Hari Parbat, Mata Chakreshwari, who is the creator of Kashmir land and is more than 5,200 years, should also be brought under the circuit. The Shiv temple of Baramulla, which also has a mention in the Rajtrangani, Sharda temple of Kupwara, and Jawala ji temple in Khrew be also considered for the heritage circuit”, he said.
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