Return and resettlement of displaced Pandits in Kashmir, India

Abstract

This article is based on a survey in the Jammu camps of the Kashmiri Pandits of India involving interviews with 180 respondents early this year to analyze the issue of displacement of Kashmiri Pandits, a small sect of Hindus (top in Hindu caste hierarchy, equivalent to Brahmins) largely confined to the valley of Kashmir in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). Focusing on their historical displacement from their homes in the Kashmir Valley in the late 1980s and early 1990s with the onset of militancy in J&K, the article brings to the fore, the prevailing scenario of their displacement and prospects of return to their native land. For a long time, the Indian government has tossed the idea of the return of Kashmiri Pandits to their homes in the Kashmir valley, but the issue has become complicated with the passage of years. This is not an easy task to accomplish in view of diverse perceptions that have emerged within the displaced community, with many not favouring the return. There is a need to listen to the voices of the displaced Pandits and to craft policies, bearing in mind their grievances and aspirations.