4 August-Monday: The displaced Kashmiri Pandit organisations held a meeting today in New Delhi to discuss the current socio-political scenario affecting their fate and future. The meeting was presided over by Virender Raina, President, Panun Kashmir who is currently on a visit of Delhi-NCR.
Others who attended the meeting included besides others Sushil Hashia, President-J&K Internally Displaced Persons Welfare Society, K.K.Bhujoo, President-Kashmir Vitasta Desk, Upinder Kaul, General Secretary-PK, Kamal Bagati, General Secretary (Org)-PK and P.L. Razdan, senior activist of JKIDPWS. Ashwani Kumar Chrungoo, senior BJP & KP leader and Human Rights Defender was the special invitee in the meeting.
The meeting discussed a variety of issues of concern; and in the end issued the following statement:
“The time has come to confront the harsh truth -Kashmiri Pandits do not need another round of tokenism, half-measures, or cosmetic appeasement. What is needed is a just and honourable political settlement that squarely addresses two fundamental demands: the recognition of the genocide of Kashmiri Pandits, and the establishment of a Homeland within Kashmir, as articulated in the historic Margdarshan Resolution of 1991.
The National Human Rights Commission’s (NHRC) pronouncement of 1999 in regard to the issue of genocide of the Pandits needs to be taken to logical conclusion through a legislative process. There can be no forgetting or forgiving in regard to what was done to the Pandits in Kashmir.
It is deeply painful that, decades after being forcibly exiled from their ancestral land, Kashmiri Pandits are still being subjected to bureaucratic indifference and administrative harassment. The cessation of relief to displaced KPs in Delhi NCR by the ast government is not merely an administrative lapse, it is a reflection of the systemic neglect of a community that has suffered dispossession, death, deprivation and dispersion. However, the initiative of the Delhi government and the activists involved in the struggle for restoration of relief needs to be appreciated and recognised.
Let it be stated without ambiguity: Kashmiri Pandits are the indigenous people of Kashmir, the original inhabitants whose roots in the valley stretch back more than 5,000 years. Theirs is not just a history of residence but of civilizational stewardship. The uninterrupted flow of Sharda civilisational values -of knowledge, tolerance, spirituality and culture -is the soul of Kashmir. This sacred continuity must be preserved, not diluted by alien cultures that seek to redefine the ethos of the valley.
The Homeland demand is fully restorative. It seeks to reclaim dignity, safety and cultural resurgence in a defined territory within Kashmir, under Indian sovereignty. It seeks recognition of genocide so that the crimes against humanity of the past are acknowledged and not repeated in future.
Kashmiri Pandits are not asking for privilege; they are asserting their right —the first right —over their homeland. It is time the Indian state and society rise above bureaucratic tokenism and initiate a sincere political process to correct historical wrongs. Only then can there be any meaningful resettlement on the terms of the victims of genocide who have the first right to speak out their priorites in regard to the issue of return. The actions taken by the government of India on 5th August 2019 reflect the aspirations of the displaced community and these actions need to be fully stregthened with commitment and political resolve.
(This Press Release has been published as received)
