Kashmiri Pandits urge parties to back bill on return and rehabilitation

Kashmiri Pandits welcomed the recommendation made by President Droupadi Murmu to a bill on the return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri Hindus in the Valley and urged political parties to vote for and support the bill concerning the community's rehabilitation.

President Droupadi Murmu has recommended a private member's bill calling for the rehabilitation and resettlement of Kashmiri Pandits for consideration in the Rajya Sabha.

The Kashmiri Pandits (Recourse, Restitution, Rehabilitation and Resettlement) Bill, 2022, was introduced in the Rajya Sabha by Congress member Vivek Tankha on February 2, 2024, but required the President's recommendation as it involves financial implications.

The bill will be taken up for voting in the Rajya Sabha in the current session. Kashmiri Pandits have welcomed the President's recommendation and expressed their happiness over the move.

"We welcome the recommendation of the President to the private member's bill on the return and rehabilitation of KPs in the Valley. It has rekindled hope among the community on the issue," former Jammu Computer Dealers Association President Arvind Kumar said here.

He further urged all political parties to come forward to support, vote for, and pass the bill tabled in the Rajya Sabha by Vivek Tankha.

Similarly, businessman P L Koul also thanked the President and Tankha for their role in facilitating the bill, now to be voted on by the Rajya Sabha.

"We urge all political parties, including Congress and BJP, to vote for and support it. With folded hands, please honour our request for passing the bill," he said.

"For the first time in Parliament, a private member's bill titled Kashmiri Pandits (Recourse, Restitution, Rehabilitation and Resettlement) Bill, 2022, has been recommended by the President for consideration in the House, subject to time constraints," Tankha said in a post on X.

Apni Party youth leader and community activist Muktesh Yogi also expressed his gratitude to the President and the Congress MP for facilitating the bill for voting in the Rajya Sabha.

"It is our wish to see this bill through. So we urge all MPs in the Rajya Sabha to vote for, support, and pass the bill," he said.

Echoing similar sentiments, the Global Kashmiri Pandit Diaspora (GKPD) said, "This is a moment of great moral and constitutional significance. A Government Bill, backed by the Executive and introduced by a Union Minister, would ensure the full weight and urgency of national legislative intent, thereby enabling structured and enforceable mechanisms for justice, restitution, and return with dignity.