New Delhi, August 11
Home Minister Rajnath Singh today said the return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits to their homeland was a national issue for the government and the Centre had earmarked Rs 500 crore for this purpose.

He says the government will not rest till it ensures return and rehabilitation of the Kashmiri migrants.

Replying to a calling attention motion in the Lok Sabha today, Rajnath Singh said, “Whatever commitment we make, we do it with a strong conviction and full thought.”

The motion was moved by K Kavita of the Telangana Rashtriya Samiti (TRS) and supported by BJP’s Anurag Thakur. Making a rare intervention, LK Advani sought a discussion on a report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the issue.

The Home Minister said whether a Hindu, Muslim, Christian or Parsi, no one would be allowed to lead a refugee’s life in his own country. There is a need to see it in the context of a humanitarian crisis and not about a community alone, he said.

Speaking about the controversial Kousar Nag Yatra, the Home Minister told the House, “ Devotees from Jammu performed a puja on June 1,” adding that few separatist organisations protested the commencement of the yatra on a route passing through the Valley.

“Will separatists decide the agenda for Kashmir?” asked Anurag Thakur. For the past one week, Thakur has been raising the Kousar Nag Yatra issue. He questioned if this was the situation after the visit of nearly 40 Kashmiri Pandits, what would the scenario be if 50,000 of them were rehabilitated?

Questioning the rehabilitation plan, K Kavita said, “Right now, it seems that the government is trying to push them (Pandits) back to their homeland just to show some results. I sincerely urge upon the government that until and unless you cannot guarantee their safety, do not put them in danger.”