Kashmiri Pandits Can Return to the Valley, No One Is Stopping Them: Farooq Abdullah

As the Kashmiri Pandit community marked the 36th anniversary of their mass migration, National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah on Monday said that members of the community are free to return to the Valley, adding that many Kashmiri Pandits continue to live there peacefully.

Speaking to reporters on ‘Exodus Day’, Abdullah said, “Who is stopping them from coming here? Nobody. They can come here and live comfortably. Many Pandits live here; when others left in 1990, they chose to stay.”

When asked about the community’s demand for a formal rehabilitation policy, Abdullah placed the responsibility on the Union government, saying, “Now, Delhi has to look at this.”

January 19 is observed every year by the Kashmiri Pandit community as ‘Exodus Day’. It marks the beginning of the mass exodus of Kashmiri Pandits in 1990 following threats and targeted killings by Pakistan-backed militants.