"No Salary If You Sit At Home": Lieutenant Governor Tells Kashmiri Pandits

Kashmiri Pandits serving in the Valley will not be paid their salaries if they do not attend their duties, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said on Wednesday, in a "loud and clear message" to those sitting on protest for months.

Around 6,000 Kashmiri Pandit employees, who had returned to the Valley as part of Prime Minister's Special Employment Scheme, have not been going to their offices for the last six months to mark their protest against targeted attacks. 

"We have cleared their salaries till August 31. But they cannot be paid salaries while they are sitting at home. This is a loud and clear message to them. They (Pandit employees) should listen and understand it," said Mr Sinha.

The migrant Kashmiri Pandit and Jammu-based reserved category employees left the Valley in May after the targeted killing of a Kashmiri Pandit employee and several other targeted attacks on non-locals and Pandits. Most of them have already moved to Jammu, demanding they be relocated there. 

Last week, the government told Parliament that in last three years, nine Pandits have been killed in Kashmir. 

Today, Mr Sinha made it clear that Pandit employees will not be transferred and relocated to Jammu. 

He said for the safety of Pandit employees they have already been posted at district headquarters in Kashmir. And those working in rural development department have been shifted to villages close to Tehsil and district headquarters.

"I was in constant touch with protesting employees and made sincere efforts to address their long pending issues. "Almost all these employees were transferred to district headquarters" said Mr Sinha. 

The Lieutenant Governor said his administration has appointed officers in every district and one in Raj Bhavan to look after their grievances of Kashmiri Pandits. 

Mr Sinha also ruled out transfer reserved category employees from Jammu who are posted in Kashmir Valley. He said these appointed on district cadre and division posts in Kashmir Valley. 

"They should keep in mind that they are appointed on posts in Kashmir division cannot be transferred to Jammu," he said.

The Pandits have called Mr Sinha's remarks "unfortunate".

"It is an unfortunate statement. It is better for the government to sack us all. We will not go to the Valley to join services. Our lives are more important than jobs," a protester said in Jammu, according to news agency PTI.

In 1990, thousands of Pandit families had migrated from Kashmir. Since then successive governments have made several efforts to bring back Kashmiri Pandits to the Valley, but in vain.