600 former militants in PoK want to return: Omar

The CM said his government was processing the applications and would do everything to facilitate their return.

In three months since it approved a rehabilitation policy in November 2010,the J-K government has received nearly 600 applications from former militants across the border who want to return home,Chief Minister Omar Abdullah told The Indian Express on Tuesday. The CM said his government was processing the applications and would do everything to facilitate their return.

We have received 600 applications from them so far and are currently scrutinising these. It will take us some time. We are working out how they can be brought back and resettled into their lives, the CM said,adding that the purpose of the rehabilitation policy was to provide a legal mechanism for those who have crossed over to the other side of the LoC during militancy and want to return to live a normal life.

However,when asked whether the government had a time-frame within which to process these applications,he said the governments intention was to take the job seriously and screen these as soon as possible. I only take monthly reviews of the applications. My direction to the staff is to process these urgently to facilitate the return, he said.

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Last year,the government had announced a rehabilitation policy for all those who had crossed over to PoK between 1989 and 2009 for arms training,but had not indulged in ny militant activity and were ready to return,surrender and settle as normal citizens.

The policy was a result of Omars 2006 visit to Pakistan where he met delegations of former militants wanting to return to the Valley. Though this idea was opposed by the BJP,Omar announced the policy in February last year and in November his government approved it. Subsequently,the Centre also endorsed it.

However,so far no application has been okayed. The reason for it is that the applicants will have to undergo screenings at many levels before they are allowed to return. The applications are being scrutinised first at the level of the SHOs,Superintendents of Police and then forwarded to CID headquarters where they will be examined in consultation with the Central Intelligence agencies and security forces. Once accepted,all such former militants will be permitted to enter only through Wagah,Attari or through Salamabad or Chakan-da-bagh crossings on the LoC or through the Indira Gandhi International Airport,New Delhi.