Srinagar, 22 June (H.S.): PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti on Monday said Kashmiri Pandits should move on and stop being prisoners of the past by investing in a shared future in the valley.

Mufti, a former chief minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, visited the Kheer Bhawani temple in central Kashmir's Ganderbal district and interacted with Kashmiri Pandits on the occasion of the annual Kheer Bhawani mela.

Speaking to reporters, she said a huge number of Kashmiri Pandits have come for the mela and the people of Kashmir welcome them wholeheartedly.

We want our Kashmiri Pandit brothers and sisters to forget what happened in the past and look forward to the future, the People's Democratic Party (PDP) chief said.

In a post on X, Mufti said the scenes at the Kheer Bhawani mela were heartwarming beyond words.

The warmth and affection between Kashmiri Pandits and Muslims transcended the walls of mistrust and division that some have sought to build for their own agendas. It is time we stop being prisoners of the past and invest in a shared future, she said.

Mufti said countless Kashmiris seeking treatment outside the valley are welcomed and cared for by Kashmiri Pandit doctors.

Equally inspiring are doctors like Sushil Razdan, U Koul, and Sameer Koul, who continue to serve patients in Kashmir, especially those unable to travel for treatment. Their work is not just healing bodies; it is helping heal old wounds and rebuild bonds between communities, she added.

The former chief minister asserted that more young doctors should take inspiration from them, reconnect with their roots and visit Kashmir.

She urged the government to provide all facilities to Kashmiri Pandits.

The government here should provide facilities to Kashmiri Pandits who have come here or are living here. They are living in one-bedroom flats.... Similarly, Kashmiri Pandits are facing problems in Jagti (in Jammu). There is an issue in NFSA. You cannot treat Kashmiri Pandits at par with other people when it comes to NFSA. You have to provide all facilities to them which the migrants should get, she said.

She appealed to people to maintain brotherhood.

We should not look into the past, but look forward. Also, those who want to use Kashmiri Pandits as a weapon, the Kashmiri Pandits should isolate them, and they (Pandits) should have direct connections with Kashmiris, Mufti asserted.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Krishan Kumar