Jammu, 23 June (H.S.): National Conference president Dr Farooq Abdullah today expressed hope that displaced Kashmiri Pandits would soon return to the Valley, saying a renewed sense of brotherhood was visible in Jammu and Kashmir.

Speaking during his visit to the Kheer Bhawani Temple in central Kashmir's Ganderbal district on the occasion of the annual Kheer Bhawani Mela, Abdullah said he believed the blessings of the goddess had helped revive communal harmony that had been missing for several years.

I believe it is because of the blessings of the goddess that we are once again witnessing the brotherhood which had vanished for several years. My prayers are that the day comes soon when they return home and live with us together, he said.

Referring to the return of Kashmiri Pandits, the NC chief said people in the Valley wanted them to come back and live alongside other communities.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Krishan Kumar