Indian govt to facilitate return of Kashmiri youths from PoK

New Delhi, Feb 11 (PTI) The Centre on Thursday expressed
readiness to facilitate return of all Kashmiri youths who had
gone to Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir and wish to come back to
India, denouncing militancy and said all of them are welcome.
"Those Indians who had crossed over to PoK and now wish to
return to India are certainly welcome," Home Minister of India
P Chidambaram told reporters here.
He was responding to Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar
Abdullah's proposal that a new surrender and rehabilitation
policy should be formulated for such youths.
Abdullah had said, "To encourage more militants to return
to the state and manage their transition to civilian life, a
new surrender and rehabilitation policy of militants is under
active consideration of my government."
After a meeting of the Union Cabinet, Chidambaram said,
"PoK is actually an Indian territory and we should facilitate
their return."
Following Omar's statement at the conference of Chief
Ministers on Internal Security here on Sunday, the Centre was
contemplating formulating the new rehabilitation policy in
consultation with the state government which may include a
general amnesty.
The formulation of the surrender policy for nearly 800
youths willing to return from PoK and join the mainstream came
after several feelers were received by the state government
about their pathetic condition. PTI MS