Gloom will end in Kashmir only when Pandits return: Mehbooba Mufti

“The atmosphere of gloom will not end in the Kashmir Valley until Kashmiri Pandits return to their homes and live with dignity and joy," Mufti told reporters at Thajiwara in Bijbehara area of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.

She attended a special prayer meet at the temple in Anantnag in which scores of Kashmiri Pandits participated.

The 1990s saw a mass exodus of Kashmiri Pandits, the Brahmin residents of the valley, following the growth of militancy in the valley. While many have migrated to different parts of India and abroad, there are others who still languish in the refugee camps in Jammu.

Mufti, a former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, said she prayed for the return of the Pandits to the valley.

"I wish and pray to God, and I prayed here as well, to end our miseries and bring a day when, like today we see Kashmiri Pandits and Muslims brothers and sisters enjoying here, our Kashmiri Pandit brethren who are in Jammu or Delhi or anywhere else, return to their homes and live their life with dignity like the yesteryears," she said.

Meanwhile, Mehbooba's daughter Iltija Mufti accused the BJP of spreading venom in the minds of children.

"It is very unfortunate that they are trying to spread this venom among the children now. I have seen many videos on social media where children are shouting disgusting slogans," Iltija told reporters at Thajiwara in the Bijbehara area of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.

She was reacting to a question about a social media video that showed a teacher asking Class 2 students to slap a Muslim classmate in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar.

She accused the BJP of "plunging the whole country into darkness".

(With inputs from agencies)