NEW DELHI, July 19: Kashmir’s All Parties Hurriyat Conference held a rare meeting with the region’s displaced Hindy leaders on Tuesday and offered to help them return home with dignity and security. An emotional meeting of the two communities also praised the India-Pakistan dialogue as a beacon of hope for a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue.

APHC chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq told Dawn from Srinagar that the meeting, the first with Kashmiri Pandit community in the city in 15 years, resolved that the APHC and the Hindu organisations would work together for the return of minorities. They had fled the region at the start of a massive rebellion against Indian rule in 1989.

“Hurriyat is trying to bridge the gap between the two communities. Both of us will try to ensure the return of Kashmiri Pandits with dignity and safety,” he said.

Earlier 26 Jammu-based Kashmiri Pandit leaders arrived to a rousing reception at the Hurriyat headquarters.