Kashmiri Pandit employees threaten mass migration

Kashmiri Pandits (KP) employed under the PM package on Tuesday threatened to undertake mass migration from the valley if the government did not relocate them to safe places within next 24 hours as employees from the community hit the streets at various places to protest against the killing of a lady teacher by terrorists in Kulgam district.

“We have decided that if the government did not take any concrete steps for us (safety) within 24 hours, there will be mass migration again,” one of the protesters said in Srinagar.

He said the target killing of Kashmiri Pandits is continuing and the community is now tired of making appeals to the government. “We should be relocated so that we can be saved. Our delegation had met the LG earlier and we had asked him to save us. We are asking for temporary relocation for two to three years till the situation in the valley returns to normal. It is the same time frame put by IGP Kashmir for making Kashmir terrorism free,” he added.

A handful of KP employees assembled at the Ghanta Ghar (Clock tower) at Lal Chowk in Srinagar to protest against the killing, the officials said.

Another group of employees assembled at Batwara in Sonawar area of the city and raised slogans against the union territory administration for its failure to ensure foolproof security for employees of Hindu communities. The protesters, mostly women, raised slogans like “Administration HAI HAI” (down with administration), “minorities ko JEENAY Do’ (let the minorities live) and “We want justice”.

In south Kashmir Qazigund town, the KP employees blocked one tube of the Jammusrinagar Nartional Highway to protest against killing of Rajni Bala inside a school at Gopalpora in Kulgam district on Tuesday. The protesters appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to intervene in the matter to ensure security of the Kashmiri Pandit minorities. — pti