Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti Saturday said that her government will bring back Kashmiri migrants Pandits and no direction has been given for identifying and for Sainik colonies.“I will bring back Kashmir Pandits. And they will live with us together. We will build transit accommodation for them and when the situation improves here the pandits will move back to their original residences and live with us,” Mehbooba said in Lower House today.The chief minister was speaking during the Discussion in the Lower House on the Motion of Thanks to the address of the Governor N N Vohra.At the same time Mehbooba was replying to National Conference Working president Omar Abdullah who had on Friday attacked PDP-BJP alliance for failure.“How is it possible to bring Kashmir migrant Pandits back to their original residences when they cannot feel secure,” Mehbooba asked Omar, while directly referring to him.“We cannot put the pigeons among the cats,” Mehbooba said while referring to the safety of the pandits on their return.
“Do we send our workers, who have migrated to Srinagar because of being unsafe in their villages, back to their homes. No we don’t. If we are not ready to send our workers to their homes, how can we ask Pandits to go to their original places of living,” she asked Omar.While Mehbooba was mentioning about workers of political parties, all the members in the House were nodding in unison.“How is it then possible to send Kashmiri Pandits back to their homes? Before they go back to their homes, we have to give them breathing space,” she said, adding “when situation improves they will go back their homes.”The chief minister slammed the Opposition for instilling fear among people by comparing composite townships with Isreali-type settlements.“The composite townships will be for those all who have migrated from the Valley, including Sikhs, Muslims and Pandits,” Mehbooba said.On Sainik Colonies, the chief minister said that her government has not identified any land nor issued any directions for identifying land for setting up of Sainik Colonies.
“I want to put the controversy over Sainik colonies to rest and clear confusion over it. No land has been identified. No direction has been given to any official for identifying land for Sainik colonies,” Mehbooba said in the House.She said that number of meetings were held since 1965 when Sainik Societies were formed and in 1977 late Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah inaugurated the society.“When you were CM, Omar Sahab, you too held many meetings and issued orders to identify the land. Then Governor too held the meeting during his rule. Then during our government the governor held meeting, and I did not attend the meeting for being unwell, and issued orders for identifying land,” Mehbooba said.She said that the issue is being “exploited” and lot of confusion is being created over the setting up of Sainik Colonies. Pricked by Mehbooba, Omar rose up from his seat and retorted that he had on Friday asked the government to assure the House about the modalities that are being worked out for setting up the colony for state subjects. (KNS)