More than 62,000 Kashmiri Pandit families have migrated from Valley since early 1990s

By NewsGram Staff Writer

Due to onset of militancy in the State of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) in the early 1990s, more than 62,000 Kashmiri Pandit families have migrated from the Valley.

"Present number of registered Kashmiri migrant families is about 62,000. About 40,668 registered Kashmiri migrant families are residing in Jammu; about 19,338 registered Kashmiri migrant families are living in Delhi and about 2,000 families are settled in other states," informed Minister of State for Home Affairs, Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary to the Lok Sabha.

Recently, Kashmiri Pandits held a rally at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi to raise a voice for the all pervasive demand for the 'Homeland.'

The protest also saw people echoing the concern over the absence of Kashmiri Pandit voice in the ongoing dialogue between the Centre and J&K state.

"The crucial missing part in this jigsaw puzzle is the Kashmiri Pandits themselves. The government is talking about us, but they aren't asking us. They should speak to us and every time a separatist sneezes, they should not catch cold. Mr Mufti promises composite towns one day and the next day he backs out. The government should not get scared by a hundred odd people and should stand still on a decision," Rashneek Kher, from Roots in Kashmir, told NewsGram during the protest.