I-cards to be given to unregistered migrant Kashmiri Pandits

New Delhi, Mar 13 (UNI) For the first time after their migration from Kashmir valley in 1989-90, the Centre will issue identity cards to Kashmiri Pandit migrants, who are not registered with the government, to establish their identity as displaced people from Jammu and Kashmir.

Nearly 30,000-40,000 migrants will be given such cards.

So far, different state governments had issued 'relief cards' to Kashmiri migrants to enable them to claim relief from the respective state governments.

Mr Sunil Shakdher, Convenor of the Political Affairs Committee of the Kashmiri Samiti, the nodal agency for Kashmiri migrants, said the identity cards would be different from the 'relief cards' so far given by respective state governments and would establish their identity as those belonging to Jammu and Kashmir state.

The decision to give such cards was taken after Kashmiri Samiti leaders held a meeting with National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan.

A statement issued by the Kashmiri Samiti said the Government had finally agreed to issue proper identity cards to Kashmiri Pandits to give them a ''clear identity.'' In the confusion created by the present situation, Kashmiri Pandits were slowly being pushed into oblivion. They were finding it difficult to prove their identity and in the process, were unable to lay claim on their homeland, the statement added.

It said Kashmiri Pandits were ''getting lost in the mire of officialese and political expediency.'' Mr Shakdher said the Samiti had been in close touch with the Chief Ministers of Jammu and Kashmir and Delhi, the Jammu and Kashmir Resident Commissioner in Delhi as well as senior officials of the Union Home Ministry.

''It is now a centralised process between the J and K Government and Kashmiri Samiti which would enable the Kashmiri Pandit community to play an effective role as part of the national family and lay claim on Kashmir eventually assisting in their retiurn to the valley,'' Mr Shakdher said.

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