Jammu, February 13 Jammu and Kashmir Congress president Tariq Hameed Karra appealed to the UT government on Friday to send a delegation of MLAs from all parties to the Kashmiri migrant camps in Jammu to assess their living conditions and recommend urgent measures for their welfare.
Karra made the suggestion after interacting with the Kashmiri Pandit community at the Jagti migrant camp in Nagrota near here, ahead of Shivratri, a party spokesman said.
Accompanied by senior party leaders, including Raman Bhalla, the working president of J-K Congress, Karra said there is an age-old tradition of celebrating Shivratri and other Hindu-Muslim festivals together in the Valley.
"Every right-thinking Kashmiri deeply misses that spirit of communal harmony and looks forward to the day when the migrant community returns to its homeland with dignity, honour and security," Karra said.
He said the majority of the Kashmiri Muslims carry deep pain over the migration of Pandits from the Valley, and "they openly express regret that they could not do anything to prevent their exodus".
Nothing substantial has been done for the migrant community, except during the UPA government headed by Manmohan Singh, Karra claimed, adding that there is a need for all stakeholders to jointly address the migrant community’s concerns.
"The J-K government should send an all-party MLAs' team to the Kashmiri migrant camps to see their living conditions and recommend urgent measures for their welfare," Karra said.
"Enough politics has been played over the plight and sufferings of the displaced Kashmiri community, and it is time to rise above vote-bank considerations and work towards improving their conditions," he added.
The Congress leader also said that while fresh initiatives must be launched and sustained to ensure the safe, dignified and respectful return of the migrant community, the party suggests that the government initiate local-level dialogues through elected MLAs to facilitate the process.
At the same time, he said, urgent and effective steps should be taken to improve the living conditions in the migrant camps, strengthen the rehabilitation measures and address the genuine concerns.