Kashmiri Pandits reject Mush's formula on Kashmir

New Delhi, Dec 26: Kashmiri Pandits today rejected Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's four-point formula on Kashmir and said the latest indications emanating from the ongoing Indo-Pak Composite Dialogue process were confusing.

A Resolution adopted after a day-long conference, organised by the Kashmiri Samiti, the apex body of Kashmiri Pandits, said it was not very clear what prompted Gen Musharraf to come out with this ''out of box'' formula but it was clear that the government of India was willing to discuss it.

Without going into the merits and demerits of the formula, the government of India was willing to ''clutch any straw'' that Pakistan offered without understanding how this formula would fit into the spectrum of Indian claims.

''There is a unanimous Parliament Resolution of 1994 describing Jammu and Kashmir as an integral part of India and asking Pakistan to withdraw frm theterritory under its control and then recently, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh declared that there is no question of change of borders,'' the Resolution said.

How could the two countries then discuss reduction of armies, creating five zones having self-rule and an overall joint control on the entire territory, it said and feared that the government of India may accept the formula.

''The whole exercise leaves only the Kashmiri Pandits in the lurch. They are now in their 19th year of displacement and see little or no chance of their returning to their homes in the near future,'' the Resolution said.

The Resolution demanded that Kashmiri Pandits be rehabilitated at theirplaces of presented location in the country. They, however, assertedthat they were not against returning to Kashmir and threatened toresort to ''Direct Action Programme' from January 20, 2007, (the dayKashmiri Pandits migrated enmasse from the valley in 1990) if thecentral government failed to rehabilitate them within a certaintime-frame.

Demanding their inclusion in any negotiations on Kashmir, theKashmiri Pandits said they were very much a part of the politicalprocess and any process would be incomplete without their participationas they were the worst sufferers of terrorism in the valley.

''Whatever the future of Kashmir, Kashmiri Pandits are an integralpart of Indian ethos and civilisation and would like to contributetheir mite in strengthening the country...They feel enough is enoughand they cannot wait indefinitely for a situation that enables them toreturn to their roots,'' the Resolution said.

It also demanded that the Centre urgently set up an agency whichcan gather all details of the losses incurred by the Kashmiri Panditsand formulate a policy of compensation and rehabilitation with theirrepresentatives.

''If no action is taken on these in a reasonable time-frame, theKashmiri Pandits have resolved to resort to direct action. They aredetermined to end the stalemate that has been thrust on them,'' theResolution warned.

UNI