The migration of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley, after they had received threats in the name of Hizbul Mujahideen (published in local papers) in 1989-’90 remains one of the major tragedies of the Kashmiri situation. According to the office of the relief commissioner in Jammu, 28,561 families (about 1.5 lakh people) have registered with them as migrants. Of these families, 25,215, i.e., nearly 89 per cent, are Hindu, 1,468 are Muslim, 1,803 are Sikh and 75 are ‘others.’ Registration entitles the migrants to relief and rehabilitation.However, the state government’s own estimate of total migrants is 60,000 families, that is, close to 3,00,000 people. The camps in and around Jammu city house 90 per cent of the migrants. There are also camps in Udhampur at Kathua. There are still 8-9,000 Kashmiri Pandits living in the Valley in the face of all odds.
One bitter resentment of the migrant is that while each refugee gets only Rs 450 per month upto a maximum of Rs. 1800 per family, a surrendered militant is given as much as Rs. 2,400 per month! Kashmiri nationalist leaders claim that 70,000 innocent Kashmiris and Jammuites have fallen victim to the movement since 1989 (two-thirds due to state violence, the rest through the actions of the militants). Other independent groups put the estimate of the total loss of life closer to 25-30,000. About 60 per cent of the KP migrants — self-employed, small businesspersons and traders — have been the real sufferers. So also 25,000 Kashmiri Muslims, at least, who have also moved out of the state out of fear but do not enjoy any of the monetary benefits offered to state government employees and even medical students of the more affluent KP community.
Thirty-forty per cent of the migrant KP community all over the country has certainly faced the tragedy of being displaced. But medicos of the J and K state government, who draw a salary of Rs.1,500 per month continue their private practice. Many states, among which Maharashtra is one, have reserved seats for (KP) migrants in professional colleges.