REHABILITATION POLICY
Srinagar, Feb 12: Buoyed by the Centre's support to the proposed rehabilitation policy, Jammu and Kashmir government Friday said it would go for a head count to know the actual number of youths who had gone to Pak administered Kashmir (PaK) since 1990 and facilitate their return.
 "Actual number of youths who had gone to PaK is not known. We will start a head count and facilitate their return here," Minister of State for Tourism, Nasir Aslam Wani told reporters here.
 Wani, however, said the proposed policy was for the youth who had gone to PaK since 1990.
 "The resettlement of Kashmiris who had gone to PaK on or before 1947 is a separate issue", he said.
 Union Home Minister P Chidambaram had yesterday said the government was ready to "welcome" Kashmiris who had gone to PaK if they were ready to return after giving up militancy.
 Wani said the proposed policy is purely a rehabilitation programme for youths who are held up in PaK and want to come back to their homes and join their families.
 He said the issue of return of the Kashmiri youth is to be settled between India and Pakistan, adding that the state government will play a role of facilitator.
 "Modalities (for the return of the youth) will be worked by the two countries", he said.
 To a question, Wani said people have taken Nepal route to return here. "We want a dignified way for them to return and join their families."
 Seeking support for the government’s new rehabilitation policy, Wani said that all the political parties in the state should rise above the politics and support the move.
  “It is a sincere effort and we seek everybody’s support,” Wani who was flanked by his minister of state for health, Javid Dar, said.
 He said it was not a “surrender policy” but a “rehabilitation policy.” “We are bringing back and rehabilitating Kashmiri Pandits in Valley. Similarly we want people who migrated after 1990 to PaK to return to Valley.”
 He, however, said that there was no mechanism in place for the return and rehabilitation of youth and also no time frame for the process. “But we will sit and discuss all the nitty-gritty of it.”

WITH INPUTS FROM PTI

Lastupdate on : Fri, 12 Feb 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 12 Feb 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 13 Feb 2010 00:00:00 IST