Pandits reject recommendations of CBM working group

New Delhi, Apr 25 (UNI) Kashmiri Pandits have rejected outright recommendations of the Working Group on CBMs, saying the community has been grossly neglected and the core issues of concern, including rehabilitation package, have not been addressed.

''The recommendation are dismissive and utterly neglect the community... We rejected them. The suggestions circumvented our main concerns,'' Panun Kashmir Convenor Agnishekhar, who participated in the third round table yesterday where four Working Groups on Jammu and Kashmir tabled the recommendations, said.

The Panun Kashmir convenor said the community will have a rethink about its participation in the future round table conferences if the core issues are not addressed.

''Their is a crisis of faith going on... we were hopeful that this forum will be able to address the problems being faced by the community but we have been disappointed,'' he added.

He said core issues like ordering a probe into mass exodus of the community, corrective measures for it, rehabilitation package, mass employment package for Kashmiri Pandits and allotment of two room quarters in the valley have not even been mentioned in the suggestions.

''The Group had announced a few cosmetic measures which will not have any impact on improving the ground situation,'' he added.

Dr Agnishekhar said all the community representatives had unanimously rejected the recommendations.

National Commission for Minorities (NCM) Chairman Mohammad Hamid Ansari-led group on confidence building measures has suggested steps to improve the condition of the families directly affected by militancy and complete return and rehabilitation of migrants to their homes in the Kashmir valley among other measures.

The group has also focused on the importance of human rights and suggested specific measures for protection of human rights of innocent citizens.

UNI