Kashmiri Pandits stage protest at Jantar Mantar

New Delhi, May 3
Demanding their rehabilitation in the Kashmir Valley, Kashmiri Pandits held a protest at Jantar Mantar here on Sunday.

The protest -- "We protest, 25 years of exile, 25 years of denial" -- saw thousands of Kashmiri Pandits coming together to share their plight. Slogans against the separatists rented the air.

"We want to go back home in Kashmir. The government's job is to protect us," said a protester, adding that separatist Syed Ali Shah Geelani should be arrested.

The agitators expressed their wish that the government should take their opinion while chalking out any plan for them.

"Everyday we are listening to one proposal or another about Kashmiri Pandits, but thee government does not ask us what we want. I request the government of India whatever it has to decide about us, please ask us," said a protester at Jantar Mantar.Jammu, May 3
The Mughal Road, which connects Jammu region with the Kashmir Valley, will open for one-way traffic on Sunday after being closed for over five months, an official said.

"Traffic will be allowed from Jammu to Srinagar," the official told IANS.

Connecting the Jammu region with the valley through Poonch, Rajouri and Shopian districts, the road was originally built by Mughal emperors.

For centuries the road remained closed. It was rebuilt in 2005 as a link road between the landlocked valley and rest of India. During winter, heavy snowfall forces its closure.