SRINAGAR, Aug 3: A “threat letter” allegedly written by militants asking Kashmiri Pandit families in central Kashmir to leave their homes has been trashed by police and separatist leaders as “bogus”.
Nearly 500 Kashmiri Pandit families, living at Sheikhpora colony, had received the letter, allegedly written by Jaish-e-Mohammad militant group, which had “warned the community to leave the Valley within a week, failing which they would face consequences (sic)”.
A panicked community living in the Budgam district neighbourhood under a rehabilitation scheme for displaced Kashmiri Pandit families approached separatist leaders, including hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani and moderate Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.
The two leaders assured of security to the community and described the letter as a tactic to “paint the Kashmiris’ freedom struggle as a communal movement”. The Mirwaiz assured a delegation of Kashmiri Pandits that they were a part of Kashmir and the majority community was morally responsible for their safety, a spokesperson was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.
A police official also dismissed the letter as a “prank”. “We have registered a case and are trying to find out who is responsible for the mischief,” the official said.
