Precept and Practice   Editorial Koshur Samachar

It was thoughtful of our Prime Minister, Shri P V Narasimha Rao, at the fax-end of his term, to have spared some time out of his busy schedule to call in a delegation of the Kashmiri Samiti Delhi at his residence last month and get a firsthand report on the sufferings of lakhs of Kashmiri Pandit migrants languishing in camps which he had never bothered to visit during his tenure. In doing so, Shri Rao staved off a crisis situation which would have arisen as a result of the gherao and indefinite dharna which the Samiti's members were determined to hold at the Prime Minister's house, at whatever cost. To commemorate the Holocaust Day, Kashmiri Samiti Delhi had given a "do or die" call to herald its direct action programme because our peaceful overtures, countless memoranda and declarations to the Central and State governments to listen and act upon our grievances have had no positive response.

Now that the highest executive in the land has heard perhaps for the first time directly from our representatives what has actually befallen us and the nature of discrimination that we are subjected to day in and day out insofar as the provision of minimum facilities and distribution of relief to migrants, settlement of our fire claims and admission of our wards in technological and medical institutions in the country is concerned. We can only hope that the directives issued by him to the Department of Jammu and Kashmir Affairs will effectively percolate down the line and followed in letter and spirit While the Kashmiri Samiti Delhi will, on its part, pursue the outcome of the meeting with the Prime Minister to its logical conclusion by follow-up measures. much depends upon the response from the PMO, the Department of J&K Affairs and the State Government to the Prime Minister's specific directives to them to review the entire gamut of migrants' problems. We do expect that the authorities, while undertaking this review exercise, will also take us into confidence and involve us in the consultative process so that the genuine needs and aspirations of our hapless community do not go by default .

Ours is a docile, educated and peace loving community but continued sufferings and neglect have overtaxed our patience which is now at the end of its tether. If therefore, the concerned authorities fail to translate the Prime Minister's precepts and promises into practice within a reasonable timeframe, Kashmiri Samiti Delhi may be compelled to renew its call for direct action, the consequences of which would rest squarely on the shoulders of the government of India, whatever be its complexion in the months ahead.

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Courtesy: T N Dhar ‘Kundan’ and February 1996 Koshur Samachar