YAIKS protests outside J&K Governor’s house

Wants rehab policy for displaced Pandits modified

Jammu: Batting strongly for restructuring the rehabilitation policy for displaced Kashmiri Pandits, Youth All India Kashmiri Samaj protested against the Centre and the state government outside the Governor House in Jammu on Wednesday.

Led by YAIKS president, R K Bhat, more than 500 young men and women from the community raised slogans in support of their demands and sat on a 'dharna' for several hours.

Carrying placards that read "Fight for Right", "I am a Kashmiri Pandit, I love my Identity" and "Give me justice", the protestors demanded that their demands be fulfilled immediately.

Bhat alleged that the rehabilitation package for Kashmiri Pandits announced by the Centre a few years ago is eyewash.

"We urge government to restructure, redesign and revise this package by holding a proper dialogue with its organisation and its representatives immediately as a confidence-building measure," he told reporters.

YAIKS is an organisation advocating for interest of the youth, unemployed, educated persons from the displaced Kashmiri Pandit community in Jammu.

The Centre had announced a rehabilitation package for the displaced Kashmiri Pandits with a one-time compensation of Rs 7 lakh to every migrant family besides the Prime Minister Employment Package for 6,000 Kashmiri Pandit youths.

The protestors urged the governor to sanction 3,000 more jobs for unemployed, displaced youths. Bhat said the government had agreed that whoever returns to Kashmir will be provided employment as per the candidate's eligibility.

"But when the migrant youth applied for job as per their qualification, unfortunately, most of the candidates were dropped for unknown reasons," he said.