Dont's need invitation to visit Kashmir as tourists: Panun Kashmir

The Panun Kashmir, an organisation of displaced Kashmiri Pandits, today criticised Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti for her appeal to the community members settled outside the state to visit the valley as "tourists".

Panun Kashmir president Ashwani Kumar Chrungoo said the community members did not need an invitation to visit Kashmir as "tourists or pilgrims", and asserted that they needed to be taken on board in order to pave the way for their resettlement in the valley.

Addressing a gathering of Kashmiri Pandits in Delhi last week, the chief minister appealed for a reconciliation between Kashmiri Muslims and the Pandit community.

"The gift of education has helped you (Pandits) in making a name for yourself but those in Kashmir are still trying to live a peaceful life...The valley is incomplete without you. To begin with, please come as tourists and later if you feel so, you are most welcome to go back to your homes and stay there. I am not assuring you a roller coaster ride," she said.