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'We are not going to bring the migrants back soon'

The Wandhama massacre has severely set back the Jammu and Kashmir government's efforts to rehabilitate the 300,000-odd Kashmiri migrants to the valley.

Shocked by the gruesome incident, Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah said he would not consider the matter in the near future.

''We are not going to bring the migrants back soon,'' he said in an informal chat with newsmen. The situation would have to be made more conducive before that can happen.

In the past few months, the chief minister had been stressing the need to ensure the early return of the migrants to maintain the 'composite culture of Kashmir'. In fact, the state government had even prepared a rehabilitation package and sought assistance from the Centre for it.

Various Kashmiri Pandit organisations have also raised fresh opposition to the proposal.

All India Kashmiri Pandit Conference working president J N Sapru said the killings should be an eye-opener for those pushing it.

''Now that the chief minister has also agreed that immediate return is not possible, the migrants should be conveniently rehabilitated at their present places of stay,'' he said, "Ultimately, the government may have to carve a separate and secure homeland for them."

The Panun Kashmiri demanded the evacuation of all Pandits families from the valley.

UNI

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