Mehbooba Mufti seeks dignified return of Kashmiri Pandits to valley

Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday said any political process in Jammu and Kashmir was incomplete without the dignified return of Kashmiri Pandits to the valley.

She also said guns cannot be a solution to achieving peace.

"PDP believes that Jammu and Kashmir cannot be solved with guns. There is no military solution, and the gun of militants is also not a solution. There should be a political process," she said.

"But that political process cannot be completed until our Kashmiri Pandit brothers and sisters return to Kashmir with due respect, settle here and play their role," Mehbooba told reporters here.

The former chief minister of the erstwhile state of J-K visited the temple of Mata Ragnya Devi, popularly known as Mata Kheer Bhawani, on the occasion of the annual Mela Kheer Bhawani in Ganderbal district of central Kashmir.

Mehbooba had on Monday called on Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and submitted an "inclusive and phased roadmap" to facilitate the return of Kashmiri Pandits.

She had sought dignified return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits, saying their reintegration must not be viewed merely as a symbolic return, but as an opportunity to build a shared, inclusive and forward-looking future for Jammu and Kashmir.