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'Safety important. Kashmiri Pandits should be sent to Jammu': Ghulam Nabi Azad
Jammu and Kashmir has seen many civilian killings this year.
Calling for the safety of Kashmiri Pandits, Ghulam Nabi Azad on Monday said that they should be sent to Jammu till situation in the Kashmir valley improves. The former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister's statement on Pandits come over concerns over rise in terror incidents in J&K and surge in civilian killings this year.
"During my tenure, we had given the proposal for giving jobs to Pandits to the then Manmohan Singh government. About 3,000 people were given jobs. But at that time, nobody bothered them," he told reporters. "But several incidents have been reported. Life is most important. What I suggest is that Kashmiri Pandits should be sent to Jammu to safety. When situation improves, they can be called back," he further said.
"Jobs can't be more important than lives. I am not sure what the current administration thinks about this but if we are voted to power again, we will do this. Appeals have been made for relocation of Kashmiri Pandits in view of safety and security concerns.
Ghulam Nabi Azad has made these comments as the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir prepares for elections. This will be the first time that polls will be held in J&K after Article 370 was scrapped in 2019, removing the special status. Jammu and Kashmir was carved into two union territories, leading to formation of Ladakh as separate UT.
Ghulam Nabi Azad had ended his decades-long association with the Congress earlier this year and he announced the name of his new party - Democratic Azad Party - a month later. Speculations were also rife that he may join hands with the BJP.
As Ghulam Nabi Azad identifies concerns of locals in his public addresses, other opposition leaders have also been raising multiple concerns. Inclusion of non-locals in voters' list in J&K is one such issue.
