Author: PTI
Publication: Mid-Day
Date: May 29, 2003
URL: http://web.mid-day.com/news/nation/2003/may/54323.htm
Several organisations representing
Kashmiri Pandits living in the region today have taken strong exception
to Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh for his reported remarks
terming the exodus of Pandits from the valley nearly 13 years ago a "big
mistake."
"Digvijay Singh has said that the
migration of Kashmiri Pandits was a mistake that gave boost to terror activities
in the strife-torn valley....
"Does Mr Singh mean that the peace
loving minority community should have stayed back to face bullets from
militants and waited till its last member was gunned down," Kashmiri Sahayak
Sabha President, B L Sadhu said here.
Addressing the Saheed Parivar Fund
distribution function a Jalandhar on Sunday, Singh had reportedly said
that the militants wanted to create panic among the minority community
and the mass migration indicated that the militants had succeeded in their
evil designs.
Panun Kashmir Movement's North India
coordinator, Vinod Kaul said the community had already witnessed a lot
of turmoil and had been living like "refugees" in its own country. "It
appears that Singh is little aware of the circumstances that forced us
to leave our homes. We want to ask him who will be happy to get uprooted
from his home.
"His remarks have deeply hurt us,"
he said.
The president of the Kashmiri Sahayak
Sabha, Ludhiana, M K Mam regretted that a "man of Digvijay's stature should
not have made such remarks".
