The resolution moved by Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister, Mr. Surinder Kumar Choudhary, urging for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and constitutional guarantees raises grave concerns for the victimized Kashmiri Pandit community. This is yet another example of political double standards and selective empathy from leaders who have, for decades, consistently failed to address the plight of our community. National Conference (NC) and other political entities in the region have persistently overlooked the decades-long suffering, displacement, and trauma faced by Kashmiri Pandits. They have ignored our cries for justice, our demand for restitution, and our right to reclaim our heritage, yet today, these very leaders conveniently champion the cause of “safeguarding rights” and “identity” for Jammu and Kashmir as per their political needs.
For the last 35 years, the Kashmiri Pandit community has been systematically ignored by those in power in Jammu and Kashmir. These political parties have been silent witnesses to our exodus, our victimization, and our exile from our homeland, even as we have remained true patriots of this country. Despite our continued pleas and representations, the same political leaders demanding “dialogue” and “constitutional guarantees” today have done nothing substantive for the rehabilitation or welfare of the Kashmiri Pandit community, nor have they taken steps to restore our place in the Valley.
This hypocritical resolution fails to acknowledge the injustice and betrayal inflicted upon our community. Kashmiri Pandits, the rightful heirs of Kashmir’s heritage and culture, have borne the brunt of communal violence, targeted attacks, and cultural erasure. While the leaders now demand special protections, they conveniently disregard the fact that it was under the very regimes they now seek to restore that our community was uprooted and our voices silenced.
The selective demands of the Deputy Chief Minister and his peers underscore a political agenda rather than a genuine concern for Jammu and Kashmir’s inclusive identity. This resolution is, sadly, another move in a series of tactics to manipulate public sentiment, without any concrete action or accountability for the marginalized and displaced Kashmiri Pandit community. If the Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister and his party are serious about safeguarding the culture and rights of Jammu and Kashmir, they must first acknowledge and take accountability for the historical wrongs against the Kashmiri Pandit community.
We, the displaced Kashmiri Pandits, demand that any political party or leader seeking constitutional guarantees and special provisions for Jammu and Kashmir also prioritize the rights and rehabilitation of our community. Without justice for Kashmiri Pandits, any dialogue on the “legitimate aspirations of the people” is inherently flawed and incomplete.
This resolution, while dressed as an appeal for unity, is empty rhetoric if it does not account for the restoration of Kashmiri Pandit rights, reparations for our community, and guarantees for our security and one place rehabilitation of victim KP,s in the Valley. We call upon the leaders of Jammu and Kashmir to stop this charade and address the core issues of justice, inclusion, and restitution for all people of the state, particularly the Kashmiri Pandit community. The time for double standards is over—our community deserves genuine support, not selective political agendas.
[ Kundan Kashmiri]
Kashmir Watcher & President Kashmiri Pandit Conference ( KPC )
Email —kundankashmiri@gnail.com
Mobile No 8802167955
