Delegation of Kashmiri Pandits meets Gujarat CM, seeks migrant status

Gandhinagar: A delegation of Kashmiri Pandits led by Ashwani Kumar Chrungoo President of Panun Kashmir, a prominent outfit of displaced Kashmiris, met Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani here today and handed over him a memorandum which requested him to get a resolution on the ‘plight of Kashmiri Pandits’ passed by Gujarat Assembly on the lines of Madhya Pradesh and J&K assemblies.

The delegation also requested Chief Minister Rupani to get displaced/migrants status for the Kashmiri Pandits who migrated to Gujarat.

The memorandum said, ” we would like to bring to your kind notice that the displaced members of the community who migrated to the state of Gujarat have not been registered here as displaced/migrants by the administration. This has caused a number of problems for the community members who constitute a good chunk throughout the state. It is appealed that these families may be registered here by the government of Gujarat enabling them to address their issues of day to day survival with effectiveness. You may please issue orders to this effect at the earliest.”

”We would also like to bring to your kind notice that the Legislative Assembly of Gujarat may be requested by your government to pass a Resolution on the plight of Kashmiri Pandits. The Assemblies of Madhya Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir states have already passed such resolutions in 2009 and 2017 respectively condemning the atrocities on the Pandits in Kashmir and expressing deep sympathies with their cause. The resolution may also express its concern over the resettlement of the Pandits in Kashmir as per their geo-political aspirations. This would go a long way to change the narrative on Kashmir and the issues relating to the nationalist feeling about Kashmir on behalf of the citizens living outside the state of Jammu and Kashmir and particularly in Gujarat,’ the memorandum said.

The Memorandum expressed deep concern over the situation that has forced Kashmiri Pandits to live as refugees in their own country. It said “Our issues of ethnic cleansing and genocide remain unanswered till date. Despite the decision of the National Human Rights Commission that “….acts akin to genocide have been committed against the Kashmiri Pandits in Kashmir…..” all previous governments at the Centre chose to keep silent on the issue. While a number of nations in the world have constituted tribunals and special courts to try those responsible for terror and genocidal crimes, the earlier governments took a soft state approach and allowed derailment of the due process of law.

With the change of guard at the Centre, the Kashmiri Pandit community has developed confidence to appeal to the government of India to constitute a Special Crimes Tribunal in the J&K state to go into the excesses committed against the indigenous people of Kashmir –the Kashmiri Pandits. In this connection, your goodself is appealed to take up our cause with the government of India and use your good offices to recommend to the Central leadership to accede to our request for constitution of the Special Crimes Tribunal. All those responsible for the heinous crimes against the Pandits and other Hindu minority community members be brought to justice under the purview of the Special Crimes Tribunal sooner than later in order to ensure that the ethnically cleansed community of the Pandits is provided justice, the memorandum said.

Mr S.K.Bhan, President, Kashur Samchar, Mr Sunil Kachru, General Secretary, Ms Kusum Kaul, Vice President and Mr Alok Bhan, youth activist were also part of the delegation.