Thu Sep 19 00:26:50 UTC 2024: ## Migrant Kashmiri Pandits Prioritize Rehabilitation in First Phase of J&K Assembly Elections

**JAMMU, Sept 18:** The first phase of polling for 16 Assembly segments in South Kashmir saw a 27% voter turnout among displaced Kashmiri Pandits, with rehabilitation dominating the concerns of voters. While a total of 9,218 out of 34,852 registered voters in Jammu district cast their ballots, the issue of return and resettlement in their homeland remained paramount.

Omkar Nath, an elderly migrant from Tral, Pulwama, voiced the sentiment shared by many: “No Government has worked sincerely for our rehabilitation. Our plight has been ignored, and only promises have been made for the last 35 years.” He questioned the responsibility for the community’s mass exodus, stating, “Wasn’t it the Government’s duty to ensure our security in Kashmir? We were forced to flee at gunpoint, and the Government watched helplessly.”

Nana Ji Raina, another migrant voter, echoed the sentiment, expressing bleak prospects for return due to a lack of political will. However, he expressed hope in Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stating, “He has taken many out-of-the-box decisions, and we hope he has the capacity and will to settle our issue. Modi is our only hope.”

While the older generation emphasized rehabilitation with guarantees of safety, younger voters, many casting their first ballots, also prioritized return alongside opportunities for employment in the private and government sectors, as well as the restoration of encroached land.

Spirya Bhat, a student from Lokbhawan, Anantnag, expressed the community’s confidence in Prime Minister Modi: “The community is confident and has high hopes in PM Narendra Modi, who has the will and capability of rehabilitating the displaced Pandits in Kashmir with honour and dignity.”

The high voter turnout amongst displaced Kashmiri Pandits demonstrates their active participation in the democratic process and their desire for a resolution to their long-standing displacement. The issue of their rehabilitation remains a crucial factor in the upcoming elections, with the community hopeful that the next government will prioritize their return and resettlement in their homeland.

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