GKPD condemns Meenakshi Lekhi’s insensitive remarks about Kashmiri Pandits
Calls on GoI to disassociate itself from Minister Meenakshi Lekhi’s provocative ‘victim shaming’ remarks on Kashmiri Pandit Genocide and their Return and Rehabilitation.
In a a press release issued by Global Kashmiri Pandit Diaspora (GKPD), it called on the government of India to disassociate itself from Minister Meenakshi Lekhi’s provocative ‘victim shaming’ remarks on Kashmiri Pandit Genocide and their Return and Rehabilitation.
The press release further said – In a public program on 1st August 2021, Minister Lekhi made a series of statements which betrayed her complete abdication in the duty of care that the State owes its
citizens generally and Kashmiri Pandits specifically. In seeking to project ‘normalcy’
and equating their ethnic cleansing to a migration and putting the burden of the
return of Kashmiri Pandits on individual members of the community she has
condoned genocide. Her statements have invited a near unanimous condemnation
within the Kashmiri Pandit community.
As a lawyer Ms. Lekhi is well aware that under international law Government of India
is liable for non-refoulment when the return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits
happens in their homeland.
As the Minister of Culture Ms. Lekhi should be taking ownership of her responsibility
as to how to resurrect the 5000-year-old Kashmiri Hindu civilization which is being
systematically eradicated.
As the Minister of State for External Affairs Ms. Lekhi should not be giving a clean
chit to Pakistan and its proxies by her rhetoric of ‘where is the problem?’ when
terrorist activities targeted the Kashmiri Pandits, killed over 1600 innocent
community members and these killings continue to this day.
Insensitive statements such as ‘Government is doing its bit…,” when even after 31
years the Government still has not met the representatives of the Kashmiri Pandit
community to address their core concerns of Justice, Restitution and Return will only
be seen as political eye wash.
GKPD calls upon Minister Lekhi to withdraw her ill-advised comments. GKPD calls
upon Government of India to partner with the Kashmiri Pandit community to come
up with a long term, equitable solution to Kashmiri Pandit genocide
