The recent uproar in the Jammu & Kashmir Assembly over the Waqf Amendment Bill, 2025, has once again exposed a bitter truth: justice and empathy in Kashmir’s politics are doled out selectively. While the legislative chamber echoed with thunderous protests defending Waqf properties, the same Assembly has remained deafeningly
silent on the long-suffering, unresolved tragedy of the Kashmiri Pandits.For 35 years, over 1,000 Hindu temples and shrines have faced encroachment, desecration, or fraudulent sale — yet not a single bill has been introduced to protect, restore, or even acknowledge them.
Why this calculated silence? Why such glaring moral cowardice? Why does the Assembly erupt for one community’s religious concerns, but remain mute about the systematic destruction of another’s spiritual heritage?This silence is not just apathy — it is betrayal.There has been no debate, no resolution, not even symbolic recognition of the genocide and ethnic cleansing that forced the Kashmiri Pandits from their homeland.
They were not migrants, but victims of a targeted campaign of terror, intimidation, and dispossession. Their homes were looted, lands grabbed, identities erased — yet the so-called “mainstream” refuses to speak the truth, let
alone legislate justice.And most shamefully, the idea of a comprehensive rehabilitation plan — including a composite township for safe and dignified return — remains buried under layers of political indifference. Why? Because
acknowledging these truths would dismantle the false narrative of normalcy and inclusive politics that some continue to peddle for convenience and votes. It would demand accountability — and courage.This double standard is not only dangerous — it is a national shame. Justice cannot be communal. Secularism cannot be selective. And empathy cannot be monopolized.The Parliament of India and the Union Territory administration must now act with urgency and resolve. A dual legislation must be introduced:The Hindu Temples and Shrines (Protection, Preservation, and Restoration) Bill — to safeguard and restore all desecrated and encroached religious sites of the displaced Hindu community.The Genocide Recognition and Comprehensive Rehabilitation Bill — to formally acknowledge the ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Pandits and facilitate their dignified return to the Valley through secured, planned townships.These are not political favors. They are constitutional obligations.If the legislators of Jammu & Kashmir truly believe in secularism, equality, and justice, it’s time they prove it — not through slogans, but through action. Enough of the theatrics. Let law replace lip service. Let justice replace drama. Let history record who stood with truth — and who chose silence. [ Kundan Kashmiri] Kashmir Watcher & President Kashmiri Pandit Conference ( KPC ) — Mobile No 8802167955 —–Email kundankashmiri@gnail.com