The deafening silence of Kashmiri Pandits amid poll buzz in Jammu

Nestled on the outskirts of Jammu, the Jagti township houses the Kashmiri Pandit community. Image credit: Siddharth Chakraborty

There are just a few posters, many already torn, to tell of the ongoing assembly elections. The mood in the Jagti township is sombre, a sharp contrast to the noisy campaign in Jammu city, barely 15km away.

The union territory of Jammu and Kashmir is voting for its first assembly with two phases of voting over. The final round is on October 1 and the counting of votes will be done on October 8.

Residents of Jagti are not too keen to talk about elections, the first after the abrogation of Article 370 that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

‘We don’t matter’

There is a sense of resignation. “We are not big enough to matter,” is the refrain.

“Kashmiri Pandits, as a community, is a non-voter for political groups in Jammu and Kashmir. The fact that we are scattered throughout the country and don't vote en masse is well known,” Chander Handoo, a 51-year-old private sector employee, tells Moneycontrol as at begins to drizzle.

His words sum up the general mood in the township, which houses around 20,000 Kashmiri Pandits forced out of their homes in Kashmir in the early 1990s.

The township, with over 4,300 flats, houses nearly 21,000 community members.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh inaugurated the township in 2011 by when the Congress-led UPA was in power. It is the closest the community has come to having homes after spending years living in tents.

“Special polling booths for migrants” reads the sign on a four-room primary school building, which abuts the Nagrota cantonment and is around 60 meters away from the township.

Handoo was here on September 18, the first phase of polling when 24 seats went to the polls. He is registered as a voter in Anantnag West and but voted at the special polling booth.

The booth has been busy in both phases. The residents vote according to where they are registered as voters in Kashmir.

Community leaders estimate a 55 percent turnout in the first phase and 53 percent in the second but voters enthusiasm doesn’t match that of politicians, they complain.

Home is far, far away

Handoo says all major players — the National Conference (NC), the Congress or the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) — except the BJP have failed to talk about their problems. They find no mention in their manifestos.

But Handoo is disappointed with the BJP as well. He says the party has not done enough for the community.

"The perception among the community members living in Jammu and elsewhere is that despite promises of resettlement in the Valley, little has been done by the present dispensation," he says.

BJP booth president Chaman Lal Pandit says there is no end to their dilemma — should they go back to Kashmir or continue to live in settlement colonies.

"People have moved on, but the longing for their homeland will keep their hopes of returning to the Valley alive," he says.

Despite the government’s assurances, it is difficult for a generation that witnessed the horrific events of 1990s to come to terms with the changed reality.

"When we talk about rehabilitation, we must factor in the creation of a condition that allows both -- Hindus and Muslims of the valley to co-exist. Rehabilitation will only be successful when this condition is met. Otherwise, the minorities have to live in fear perpetually," the BJP functionary says.

He voted on September 25. He is a voter from the Habba Kadal constituency, which saw a low turnout.

An 87-year-old pensioner, Sona Bhutni can’t forget her family’s struggles after the "exodus". She blames the National Conference and the Congress for pushing Pandits to the fringes of the political discourse.

"History is testimony to it. The NC and Congress deliberately avoid raising our issues. They know that we are too insignificant to influence elections,” says Bhutni as anger flashes on her wrinkled face. The BJP at least engaged with the complex issue of resettlement of Pandits, unlike lip service offered by other parties, says Bhutni.

Drawing a parallel with the campaign for the Lok Sabha elections earlier in the year, Bhutni says parties steered clear of the issues faced by the community. "Article 370, Article 35A, employment and the need for political representation were a few prominent issues that dominated the campaign. Why?' she asks, wondering if she will ever go back “home”.

Reimaging home

Her idea of home is different from that of Arpita Bhatt. It is important that the community reimagines the idea of a "homeland", says the 29-year-old post-graduate student at the Government Maulana Azad Memorial College.

“Pandits can't live behind fortified walls and encampments, fearing human contact with Kashmiri Muslims,” Bhat says. “There has to be a way for peaceful coexistence based on mutual respect and dignity and not the one based on seclusion and isolation.”

As the polling enters the final phase and the parties promise the moon, for Kashmiri Pandits it is more of the same.