Only 3 of 6.5k Kashmiri migrant families have permanently returned to Valley: Parliamentary panel

The panel asked the government to undertake a comprehensive assessment of the security, housing and other concerns that are holding them back.

Updated on: Aug 8, 2026, 07:17:46 IST

By Neeraj Chauhan

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Only three of 6,510 Kashmiri migrant families that initially expressed willingness to return to the region have permanently settled in the Valley, a Parliamentary panel observed, asking the government to undertake a comprehensive assessment of the security, housing, livelihood, education and social concerns that are holding them back.

The panel led by Dr Radha Mohan Das Agrawal sought detailed information on the rehabilitation of displaced Hindu migrant populations. (In picture: Kashmiri Pandit devotees light earthen lamps during the annual Hindu festival in the Kheer Bhawani Temple) (HT Photos)

Also read: Demand of statehood restoration would remain a priority: J&K CM

“The committee observes that, despite 6,510 families initially expressing willingness to return, only three families have permanently resettled in the Kashmir Valley. It, therefore, recommends a comprehensive assessment of the security, housing, livelihood, education and social concerns inhibiting return, including a structured survey of migrant families residing outside the Union Territory (of J&K), so that the rehabilitation package may be suitably reviewed and a safe, voluntary and dignified return facilitated,” the department related standing committee on home affairs said in its 260th report, tabled in Parliament on Friday.

The report, however, doesn’t mention when these families expressed willingness.

Also read: A tale of two Kashmirs: As J&K rises with integration, PoK sinks deeper into crisis

During its visit to J&K from May 11 to 15, the panel led by Dr Radha Mohan Das Agrawal, sought detailed information regarding the rehabilitation of displaced Hindu migrant populations, including the number of displaced families, restoration and protection of migrant properties, settlement of pending legal and ownership-related issues, rehabilitation policies and the status of migrants residing outside J&K with regard to their willingness to return to the Kashmir Valley.

The J&K administration informed the panel that as part of the comprehensive efforts for relief, rehabilitation and dignified return of Kashmiri migrants, a financial assistance of

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neeraj Chauhan
Neeraj Chauhan is a senior journalist with Hindustan Times and an investigative reporter specialising in national security, terrorism, organised crime, narcotics, corruption, financial crime and complex investigations. With over 21 years of experience across Hindustan Times, The Times of India, The Indian Express and The Pioneer, he has built deep expertise in India’s internal security and law-enforcement landscape. Neeraj has extensively covered India’s principal investigative, intelligence and security agencies, including the NIA, CBI, ED, IB, R&AW, MHA and other central security forces. His work has included deeply reported investigations into terrorism, terror financing, cross-border crime, narcotics trafficking, cybercrime, financial fraud and political and corporate corruption. He has reported on some of the most significant terror attacks and security developments in India over the past two decades, including the Delhi serial blasts, the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, the 2019 Pulwama terror attack and the recent Pahalgam attack. His reporting has also chronicled the rise and decline of the Indian Mujahideen, the activities and subsequent crackdown on the Popular Front of India (PFI), Islamist extremist networks, the conflict in Jammu and Kashmir, insurgencies in the Northeast and Maoist violence. Some of Neeraj’s major breaking stories are in Aryan Khan drug case, Sushant Singh Rajput suicide, interception of a 3,000-kg Afghan heroin consignment worth about ₹21,000 crore at Mundra port, Sri Lanka easter bombings, Aarushi-Hemraj murders in Noida, 2G scam, coal block allocation scam, AgustWestland VVIP chopper deal and major bank frauds and extradition cases involving Mehul Choksi, Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya. His reporting is marked by an ability to cultivate sources, analyse confidential and complex documents, and follow investigations over several years—from the initial breakthrough to chargesheets, trials and international legal proceedings. He specialises in making complicated security and investigative developments accessible while examining their wider implications for governance and public policy. A Chevening South Asia Journalism Programme Fellow at the University of Westminster, Neeraj also spent time at the Financial Times as part of the fellowship. He was also a Robert Bosch Media Ambassadors India-Germany Fellow, studying at the University of Tübingen and working with Der Tagesspiegel in Berlin. He has previously taught investigative journalism and crime reporting as a guest faculty member at the Times School of Journalism. Over more than two decades, Neeraj has established himself as an authoritative voice on India’s national security and investigative landscape, with his reporting closely followed by officials, investigators, lawyers, policymakers and readers seeking insight into some of the country’s most complex and consequential developments.Read More

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