Pulwama, Apr 4: People of Hall and adjoining villages on Monday celebrated the return of Kashmiri Pandit youth in a local migrant colony here in south Kashmir.
 Scores of people attended the welcome ceremony organized by Sheikh-ul-Alam Public School. Nearly 84 Kashmir Pandits, recruited in various government departments recently, are putting up in a migrant colony 10-kms from here.
 Ghulam Muhammad Bhat of Gabarpora told Greater Kashmir that majority community of Hall, Gabarpora, Nikar,Uzrampathri and Kachoopora have widely welcomed decision of Kashmiri Pandit youth to settle in the village where more than 100-Pandit families used to live  prior to 1990.
 “Local Muslims are still proud of some prominent Kashmiri Pandits like Justice Moti Lal Bhat, Dr U Koul and Justice Sunil Hali, who actually hails from Hall village of this south Kashmir district,” Bhat added.
 Another elderly resident Abdul Majeed Parray said that the arrival of Kashmiri Pandit youth to the migrant colony had bridged a gap between Kashmiri Hindus and Muslims.
 However, the 84-KP youth putting up in the colony for past one month were born between 1985 and 1990 and are not much aware about what the state had witnessed at the time of their migration in early nineties.
 Rakesh Kumar, 24, of Turkawangam Shopian said that the hospitality exhibited by local Muslims towards them had entirely changed his perception about the people of his homeland.
 Bimla, a young lady, said that she had not found any difference in Jammu and Valley after witnessing the friendly approach of local Muslims.
 Another occupant however said that the colony was like a transit camp as only those youth who have been recruited have volunteered to reside in the colony where the apartments are meant just for two to three people. “We won’t be unable to bring families with us to resettle here,” the KP youth added.
 The welcome ceremony organized to celebrate the arrival of these KP youth was also attended by PDP MLA from Shopian Abdul Razaq Zawoora and party leader Ghulam Mohiuddin Wachi.

Lastupdate on : Mon, 4 Apr 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Mon, 4 Apr 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Tue, 5 Apr 2011 00:00:00 IST