Security primary concern but 62% Kashmiri Pandits hope to return home: Report

Security remains the primary concern but an overwhelming majority of Kashmiri Pandits still hope to return home over three decades after a mass exodus, a new survey released this week says.

The survey says that over 62 percent of Kashmiri Pandits want to return home and at least 66 percent still retain their ancestral properties and have not sold them off. It also suggests that most people of the community prefer a government-backed, structured rehabilitation plan.

The post exodus cultural survey conducted by Whetstone International Networking (WIN), in collaboration with Shree Vishwakarma Skill University, suggests that the community wishes to reconnect with its roots but desires a 'one place settlement’ that focuses on security and rehabilitation.


“Despite widespread misconceptions, 62% of respondents express hope for returning to Kashmir, with security as the primary concern,” it reads, adding that 66.6 percent of respondents still own properties in Kashmir.

However, it says that almost 75 percent of these properties are lying unused but there is no willingness to sell them as the community still hopes for a peaceful return. Interestingly, over 12 percent of the respondents have even purchased new property in Kashmir post the exodus.

Bringing out difficulties faced by the community post exodus, the survey says over 61 percent of the respondents had to relocate up to three times and just a little below half still live in migrant camps.