Statehood to Jammu and Kashmir raises serious concerns, especially from the perspective of the displaced Kashmiri Pandit community. While governance and political processes are important, the foremost priority must be justice and rehabilitation for the community that was brutally displaced more than three decades ago.Restoring statehood at this stage is not only premature but also a dangerous and

counterproductive move that will embolden the same forces responsible for communal disharmony, exodus, and terrorism in the past. The wounds inflicted upon Kashmiri Pandits through genocide, forced migration, and mass killings like Wandhama, Nadimarg, and Chattisinghpora remain unaddressed.

The culprits continue to roam free, while the properties of displaced Pandits have been looted, encroached upon, and forcibly occupied using draconian laws such as the Distress Sale Act.Before even contemplating statehood, the government must first ensure its dangerous as well as to give justice for the Kashmiri Pandit community. Those responsible for their ethnic

cleansing must be identified, prosecuted, and given the harshest punishment under the law. There can be no reconciliation without accountability.The need of the hour is to deliver justice and restore the rights of the victimized

Kashmiri Pandit community, rather than handing over more power through statehood to the very forces that destroyed Kashmir for the last 75 years, particularly over the past 35 years of exodus, terrorism, and communal cleansing.The land, orchards, houses, and shops forcibly taken from Kashmiri Pandits must be restored to their rightful owners, or if physical restoration is not feasible, fair compensation at present market

rates must be provided. Also any discussion on the return of Kashmiri Pandits without a designated, secure, and consolidated one place settlement is a hollow promise and un– acceptable for the community. The Valley’s past and present realities prove that scattered resettlement is not a viable option, given the repeated targeting of minority employees,

temple desecrations, and the continued presence of pro-Pakistani rhetoric.The government must also officially acknowledge that the Kashmiri Pandit exodus was not just a migration but a well-planned genocide. This recognition is critical for historical truth and justice.Laws such as the Roshni Act, which facilitated the illegal

occupation of Hindu-owned properties, must be revoked completely, and action must be taken against those who profited from these illegal land grabs.Granting statehood at this juncture will reverse the stability that has been achieved post-August 5, 2019, when Article 370 was abrogated. It will bring back the same corrupt and divisive

political forces who misused power for decades, sidelining nationalist voices and emboldening separatist sympathizers. It will also create space for those who have actively worked against Kashmiri Pandit rehabilitation and justice.

The Kashmiri Pandit community vehemently opposes and rejects the proposal for statehood and demand thier fundamental questions are answered and their long-pending demands are fulfilled. Any attempt to impose statehood

without giving serious thought over it and with out addressing these concerns will be seen as a betrayal of the victims of terrorism and a step that could lead to renewed instability.

The government must first prioritize the return of Kashmiri Pandits with dignity, safety, and justice and settle them in a consolidated township in the Valley with institutional and constitutional guarantees. Only when true reconciliation and accountability have been achieved can

discussions about political restructuring take place.Justice delayed is justice denied, and we, as the victims of the Valley’s darkest chapter, will not allow history to be rewritten at our expense.Our demands must be formally

presented in the ongoing session of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, and all our demands must be accepted and our problems mitigated, in particular:A consolidated settlement for displaced Kashmiri Pandits in one place in the Kashmir Valley with institutional and

constitutional guarantees.Restoration of all rights,land, properties, and assets forcibly taken from Kashmiri Pandits under distress sale,drocrian laws and through encroachments & forcible occupation.Punishment of those responsible for the genocide and forced displacement of the Kashmiri Pandit

community.Revocation of all discriminatory and draconian laws that facilitated the illegal occupation of Kashmiri Pandit properties.Official recognition of the Kashmiri Pandit genocide and proper justice for the victims.We demand that the government act swiftly and fulfill these

rightful demands before considering or discusing any thing pertaining to union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.[Kundan Kashmiri]Community Sevak & PresidentKashmiri Pandit Conference (KPC)Mobile No: 8802167955📧 Email: kundankashmiri@gmail.com