[ Kundan Kashmiri]

Kashmir Watcher & President KPC

The Kashmiri Pandit community, which has remained in forced exile for the last thirty-six years, continues to be ignored, unheard, and pushed into isolation despite being the aboriginal inhabitants of Kashmir and loyal citizens of the Indian nation. Today, the Kashmiri Pandit Conference (KPC), on behalf of the entire displaced community, strongly and justifiably demands that the Government of India and the Union Territory administration of Jammu and Kashmir issue a comprehensive White Paper or detailed Work Account, clearly stating what exactly has been done for this victimized community during the entire 36-year-long exile period, and in particular, during the last eleven years of BJP rule at the Centre. This is not a favor being asked, it is a rightful democratic, constitutional, and humanitarian demand made by a community that was forced to flee its land due to targeted killings, ethnic cleansing, and a complete breakdown of the security and constitutional machinery in the Valley in 1990.

Over the last eleven years, a number of announcements, statements, and press briefings have repeatedly promised justice, rehabilitation, dignified return, and empowerment of displaced Kashmiri Pandits. Yet, on ground, the harsh reality is that very little has changed in the lives of those living in exile. The Prime Minister’s Employment Package, although launched with great hope, remains half-executed. Thousands of youths are unemployed , while as employed youth under the package and others are working in a state of insecurity, poor accommodation, and absolute fear. The transit accommodations constructed in Kashmir under the PM Package are incomplete, substandard, unsafe, and in several places, uninhabitable. The tragic truth is that even after a minor earthquake, newly built housing blocks developed serious cracks exposing the corruption, negligence, and insensitivity of executing agencies. The much-talked-about increase in monthly relief to cash assistance holders was never properly addressed. For years, displaced families have been surviving on meagre amounts while inflation, cost of living, and human needs have multiplied manifold. Government after government has failed to address the most basic demand of ensuring adequate monthly assistance, despite repeated reminders and representations.

There has been no meaningful or inclusive dialogue with the real representatives of the displaced community on the issue of return and resettlement. The slogan of “return with dignity and security” has remained an empty phrase, devoid of action or planning. No blueprints have been shared, no timelines declared, and no policy executed. On the contrary, the displaced community continues to be politically sidelined, socially excluded, and treated as a vote bank during elections but abandoned afterwards. Our demand for political representation through Assembly nomination or reserved constituencies was never accepted. Relief holders were denied proper voting rights, proper identity, or facilities during elections. While the government claims that much has been done for displaced Kashmiri Pandits ,we ask: where is the report card? Where is the transparency? Where is the audit of actions and outcomes?

The religious and cultural heritage of Kashmiri Pandits is continuously neglected. Our temples lie in ruins, our shrines vandalized, our heritage looted, and no comprehensive temple protection or restoration law has been enforced even after decades. The promise of land for one-place settlement in the Valley remains unfulfilled. No Kashyap Bhoomi,no homeland, no composite township, no security zone only ceremonial statements that never moved beyond paper. It is deeply unfortunate that this peace-loving, law-abiding, and intellectually rich community continues to suffer in exile without rehabilitation, without political voice, and without justice.

The truth is bitter but must be spoken. This community is being ignored due to political convenience and official apathy. Our pain does not translate into political gains for those in power. Our exile has been extended not by our choice but by the system’s failure to act. Governments used our plight in speeches and manifestos, but never in planning and policy execution. The so-called ‘inclusive governance’ narrative never truly included us. While others have been engaged, compensated, and politically rehabilitated, Kashmiri Pandits were reduced to symbolic references. Our decades-long struggle was used for optics, but never respected in policy.

It is in this background, with full awareness and deep anguish, that we demand the Government of India and the J&K UT Administration release a detailed White Paper on what has been done for the Kashmiri Pandit community during the last thirty-six years of our displacement, and in particular, during the last eleven years of BJP rule at the Centre. Let the country know what they deserved, what was promised, what was executed, what failed, and who was responsible. Let there be truth, transparency, and public accountability. Let facts, not press releases, decide the reality. Let the silence be broken and shadows cleared. The world must know how the original inhabitants of Kashmir, who contributed immensely to the culture, intellect, and pluralism of India, were exiled and then forgotten. This demand for a White Paper is not a request, it is a rightful call for honesty from those in power towards those who have suffered in silence.

” Justice Delayed is Justice Denied.”