Kashmiri Pandits observed January 19 as ‘holocaust day’
The displaced Kashmiri Pandits (KPs) on Wednesday observed 19 January as the ‘holocaust day’ to mark the exodus of their community members from the Kashmir valley in 1990 due to threats and killings by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists.
Several migrant organisations like Panun Kashmir, Global Kashmiri Pandit Diaspora (GKPD), Kashmir Pandit Sabha (KPS), Youth All India Kashmiri Samaj (YAIKS), Save Sharda Committee (SSC) and All State Kashmiri Pandit Conference (ASKPC) held programmes during the day to pay tributes to the victims and to reaffirm commitment to the cause of the Kashmiri Pandits. Events were also held at Jagti and Muthi migrant camps here.
The organisations demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should personally intervene to settle the KP community, living as refugees in their own country for the past 32 years, in the Valley.
Meanwhile, former J&K Chief Minister Omar Adullah raised his concerns over delayed rehabilitation of KPs who have been languishing in other parts of the country for over three decades.
In a tweet Omar said, “Sadly Kashmiri Pandits are no closer to being able to return to the Valley than they have been in the recent past. Along with a clear-cut policy, a greatly improved security environment would be essential precursors to facilitate a return. We hope & pray that day is not far.”
UPSC topper and popular figure Shah Faesal also took to twitter to mark the delayed justice for the victims of the fateful day and the tragedy etched in the minds of KPs for the last 30 years.
Shah said, “Kashmiri Pandit exodus is the darkest spot in our history. The bone-chilling memories of those terrifying January nights are here to stay till the day justice is done.”
Interestingly, the PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, who never missed the opportunity to criticize the government on human rights issues, remained silent today.
KP diaspora, who are strewn across the world and other parts of the country, observed the 32nd Anniversary of Exodus Day, today.
It seems dubious for a veteran political leader and former CM of J&K to ignore the plight of KPs who still carry the pain of persecution, violence, and their lost homeland.
While her recent tweets express anguish over injustice and abuse of human rights, she failed to utter a single word in solidarity with the hundreds of KPs killed, and lakhs of others who were displaced from their homeland due to the increasingly hostile atmosphere in the Valley during peak insurgency.
Moreover, a large group of KPs from the Delhi-NCR region organised a protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. The protest was organised and led by Ravinder Pandita, Head of Save Sharda Committee Kashmir.
He said that the government should take practical steps in consultations with the community for its safe return to Kashmir.
