The Jammu and Kashmir BJP chief has conceded that “an environment of fear” prevails among Kashmiri Pandit government employees who have been brought to the Valley under the Prime Minister’s rehabilitation package, striking a note of caution that contrasts with the upbeat portrayals by the Centre.

“When a man lives, only then will he work,” BJP Union Territory chief Ravinder Raina said on Tuesday.

He underscored that the return of the Kashmiri Pandit employees who fled the Valley after a spate of targeted killings this year was not possible unless they were ensured “security of life”.

Raina’s comments come against the backdrop of a protest by Pandits seeking relocation to Jammu that has crossed 200 days.

The Centre is said to be firmly against their relocation, which it feels will puncture its claim of restoration of normality after the revocation of the special status for Jammu and Kashmir in 2019.

Raina told reporters in Jammu that Pandits were not against working in the Valley but that an “environment of fear” prevailing in Kashmir had forced them out.

“After these targeted killings where you had Rahul Bhat-ji killed in his office, Makhan Lal Bindroo was killed or principal Satinder Kour and teachers Deepak Mehra and Rajni Bala were targeted, there is an environment of fear. It is natural that an educated youth wants jobs but security of life is more important than jobs,” he said.

“We will have to take the responsibility of their security. Without security and (safe) rented accommodation, it is not possible for Kashmiri Pandits or Dogra employees from Jammu posted in Kashmir to return,” Raina added.

A public interaction between BJP leaders led by Raina and Kashmiri Pandit and Dalit employees at the party’s Jammu office last week had turned into an embarrassment for the BJP, with the participants’ accounts shredding its all-is-well line in Kashmir.

Speaker after speaker at Thursday’s live-streamed meeting in Jammu described how the situation had worsened in recent years, belying the government’s claims of a reign of peace and development following the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status.

Raina said on Tuesday that the BJP was aware of their problems and that they were fighting for their “rights and justice”.

“That is why we want the lieutenant governor to take some decisions. Our first appeal to the lieutenant governor is that they should be invited for talks. Certainly, there will be a solution. Life is much more important than jobs. When a man lives, only then will he work,” he said.

“The other issue is that a lot of employees are ready to go back but the question is where they will live. They were living with Muslim landlords. Our Muslim brothers and sisters there (in Kashmir) treated them well but the problem is they are themselves being threatened by militants (against providing accommodation),” Raina added.

The BJP leader said there was a need to create safe accommodation for the Pandit employees.