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Kashmiri Pandits in Shopian are preparing to leave the valley after the killing of 24 members of their community on March 23.
For years, the people in Shopian have lived together harmoniously but circumstances have changed since the recent carnage.
Even assurances by the Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani seem to be falling on deaf ears.
Fear psychosis
Those who survived the massacre are too scared to stay on. And when PDP Vice President Mehbooba Mufti visited Shopian, the Pandits demanded that immediate arrangements be made for their safe departure.
Hurriyat Conference leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq too had no success in convincing the Pandits to stay back.
"The fear psychosis is real and the decision to leave the place a difficult one. They managed to survive all these years. I will endeavour to see that they stay back," said Raman Mattoo, Minister of Industries, Jammu and Kashmir.
But the attack has come at a critical time for the new state government and clearly it will take a lot to assure the people and keep peace on track in the state.
US warns of crisis
Meanwhile, the United States has said that the massacre in Kashmir could provoke another crisis between India and Pakistan.
At the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, US Assistant Secretary of State Christina Rocca said, "We helped
to successfully walk India and Pakistan back from the brink of war last
year. However, continued terrorism like Sunday's attack threaten to provoke
yet another crisis in the coming months."
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