A home place (Home land ) is more than just a physical space, it is where one’s life, dignity, culture, and identity are nurtured and preserved. For the displaced Kashmiri Pandit community, Kashmir was not just a geographical location; it was the sacred soil where our ancestors worshipped, where our temples stood tall, and where our traditions thrived for centuries. Yet, the cruel reality of 1990 tore us from our roots through targeted killings, religious discrimination, and a campaign of terror, forcing us into an exile that continues to this day. What value does a “return” hold if the conditions that drove us out remain unchanged? No community can survive where its very existence is under threat. Where life is insecure, where religious and cultural practices are endangered, and where one’s identity is ridiculed or erased—such a place cannot be called home. Kashmiri Pandits were not merely displaced from their homes; they were systematically erased from the social, cultural, and political fabric of the Kashmir Valley. A return without safety, dignity, and justice is not a return, it is a surrender to the forces that once drove us out.

How can Kashmiri Pandits return to a place where life is fragile and respect is conditional? The brutal reality of our exodus was not accidental, it was the result of religious extremism, mob violence, and state indifference. Despite claims of normalcy, the wounds remain unhealed and the atmosphere in the Valley continues to be hostile to those who do not conform to a particular religious identity. The mobicracy that once ruled the streets, where lawless mobs dictated who could live or die, has not vanished. The voices that cheered our exodus have not been silenced, and the forces that terrorized us remain active beneath the surface. Under such conditions, the mere promise of homes or employment is meaningless. No economic package can compensate for a life lived under fear. Without comprehensive legal, political, and constitutional protections, the safety of returning Kashmiri Pandits cannot be guaranteed.

True democracy and secularism mean the protection of all citizens, regardless of their faith or identity. Yet, for Kashmiri Pandits, these ideals have been hollow promises. The Indian Constitution guarantees equality, freedom, and justice, but in Kashmir, these rights have been denied to us. Not a single perpetrator of the 1990 genocide has been brought to justice. Our temples have been desecrated, our properties looted, and our history deliberately erased, while the world watches in silence. A society where communalism reigns over humanity, where majoritarianism tramples minority rights, and where victims are forgotten cannot be called just. How can Kashmiri Pandits trust a system that failed to protect us then and refuses to deliver justice now? Without accountability for past atrocities and legal mechanisms to prevent future persecution, our return to Kashmir is not just unsafe, it is impossible.

A Kashmiri Pandit’s identity is rooted in thousands of years of cultural and spiritual heritage. This identity cannot be reduced to symbols of pity or political bargaining chips. A return that treats us as second-class citizens, where we are mere tokens of pluralism, is an insult to our pain and history. We will not accept a future where we must live under constant threat, where our faith is an excuse for harassment, and where our voices are dismissed. A return to the Valley must be on our terms, with full guarantees of political representation, legal protection, and social security and consolidated rehabilitation at one place for the community to live together as a true and rightful citizens of India. Anything less is a betrayal of the community that has endured three decades of suffering with resilience and pride.

Let there be no ambiguity, Kashmiri Pandits will not return to be marginalized or persecuted again. Our demand is not for symbolic gestures, but for real, enforceable, and lasting solutions. We demand secure collective rehabilitation through a separate, secure one place settlement in Kashmir for the safe return of the entire displaced community. Special constitutional provisions must safeguard our political, legal, and cultural rights, ensuring our security and preventing future exoduses. Those responsible for the genocide of 1990 must be brought to justice, and the UT and centre must recognize the exodus as ethnic cleansing. Our properties must be restored or compensated at market value, and our temples ,heritage sites must be fully protected and rebuilt our community to be granted indengenious status as being indengenious people of Kashmir from centuries together.Without these guarantees, any talk of return is a cruel illusion.

The world must know, we will not be silenced, and we will not surrender. Our community has given scholars, saints, and soldiers to the Indian nation. We have upheld the ideals of peace, tolerance, and patriotism even when faced with unimaginable cruelty. Yet, we are treated as refugees in our own country, deprived of our basic rights and dignity. Our pain is real. Our demands are just. Our resolve is unshakable. We seek a dignified, safe, and permanent return to our Kashyap Bhoomi on our terms, with full protection under the law. Anything less is an insult to our sacrifices, our history, and our future.

We refuse to be reduced to a forgotten footnote. Our voices will echo across the corridors of power until justice is served and our rightful place in Kashmir is restored.

“I assure my community my pen will not stop and my spirit will not die till we achieve what we demand”

[Kundan Kashmiri]
Sevak & President
Kashmiri Pandit Conference (KPC)
Contact: kundankashmiri@gmail.com | Mobile: 880 2167955