Hundreds join Janmasthami pooja in south Kashmir after 17 years

Srinagar, Aug 16 (UNI) For the first time in 17 years, hundreds of Kashmiri Pandits, mostly migrants, joined the Janmasthami pooja in south Kashmir, official sources said today.

They said hundreds of Kashmiri pandits, majority of them who had come from Jammu and other parts of the country, joined the pooja organised in Martand temple in the temple township of Mattan, about 60 km from here in Anantnag district on the occasion of Janmasthami. The prayers continued throughout the night.

Special prayers were offered for restoration of peace in the valley so that those who migrated due to eruption of militancy in 1989, could return to their homes.

''We are encouraged by the recent statement of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) urging Kashmiri Pandit migrants to return to their homes,'' said Shadi Lal, who participated in the prayers after 17 long years.

He recalled that the community members used to start preparations for the festival a week earlier during the pre-militancy years. ''We used to exchange sweets and other gifts with our Muslim brethren,'' he said adding that 17 years separation from each other have not made much difference.

Earlier, emotional scenes were witnessed when Pandit migrants met their Muslim neighbours on their arrival from Jammu.

A large number of Muslims were present in the area to greet their pandit brethren.

UNI BAS VA RN1219