Srinagar, June 13 (KNO): Chief Minister"s Advisor Nasir Aslam Wani on Saturday called for the revival of the Apex Committee on the return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits, saying a structured dialogue mechanism was needed to find a lasting solution to the community’s return lto the Valley.
Addressing the Global Kashmiri Pandit Conclave at SKICC here, Wanii, as per the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said the government would work towards reactivating the Apex Committee and engage with representatives of the Kashmiri Pandit community to evolve a roadmap for their dignified return.
He asserted that Kashmir would remain incomplete until Kashmiri Pandits returned and lived alongside Kashmiri Muslims once again.
The Apex Committee was constituted by the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir government in 2009 to oversee and facilitate the return and rehabilitation of displaced Kashmiri Pandits and monitor the implementation of rehabilitation measures announced by the Centre. The body comprised government representatives and members of various Kashmiri Pandit organisations.
Wani said efforts made over the years, including rehabilitation packages, transit accommodation and various committees, had not fully succeeded in achieving the objective of return.
He said no initiative would be complete unless Kashmiri Pandits and Muslims lived together again. “You cannot paint everyone with the same brush. There were people whose hearts beat for Kashmiri Pandits then and continue to do so even today,” he said, urging both communities to engage in dialogue rather than blame each other.
He said the government would soon engage with representatives of the community and work towards reviving the Apex Committee.
“We have a shared history and a shared future. My blood is the same as yours and my skin is the same as yours,” he said.—(KNO)
*Detailed story to follow in the Evening Bulletin.*