Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor (LG) Manoj Sinha on Saturday called upon the Kashmiri Pandit community to set up industries, academic and cultural institutions in Jammu and Kashmir that will become the immortal story of their heritage and provide opportunities to generations to come.
While addressing an event here organised by Kashmiri Pandits living overseas, the LG said a moment of transformation is here.
“Those once uprooted from their homeland return, and this homecoming is the truest victory. The presence of business leaders, corporate heads, technology entrepreneurs, and cultural icons sends a powerful message of confidence in the peace of Jammu Kashmir, and trust in the administrative stability under Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he said.
The LG said the Kashmiri Pandits were scarred by genocide and exile, but they had refused to be defined by wounds or struggle, and instead transformed pain into strength.
“Kashmiri Pandit community’s journey has been scarred by genocide, exile and struggle. The world once witnessed their wounds and now the triumph. The community chose a different path. They refused to be defined by wounds and struggle. Instead, they transformed that pain into strength,” the LG said.
Sinha said the event celebrates the community’s patience and resilience, honours their achievements and, above all, lays the foundation for the community members’ return.
Emphasising that the Kashmiri Pandit community’s contribution is needed across industry, education, arts and spirituality, Sinha said he believes the true measure of life lies in what we give back, in the hope we inspire, and in the change we leave behind for our society and nation.
“That is the essence of a meaningful life, and that is the real service. And it is this legacy that will continue to guide and inspire generations to come,” he said.
The LG said the world remembers the 1990s, when the Kashmiri Pandit community faced unimaginable brutality and endured massacres and, overnight, families were forced to leave everything behind and live in exile in their own country.
“Lives marked by pain and struggle gave the Kashmiri Pandit community only two choices—despair or rebuilding. They chose creation, rebuilding, and selfless service and in doing so, the community made history. Carrying the weight of the massacre, they never turned away from their purpose,” he said.
“Hardship never broke the spirit of the Kashmiri Pandit community. Suffering did not silence their ambition. Instead, they shaped their own destiny by building industries, founding institutions, driving innovation, and earning respect across the world,” the LG said.
He asserted that he is proud that the Kashmiri Pandit community is celebrated for reaching new heights of success. He said the world honours their talent, leadership, and contributions to humanity.
The LG said the event also indicates that the reconstruction and revival of the Kashmiri Pandit community’s ancient glory have come. He said the discussions at this conclave—on building global industries, institutions here, and a shared economic future—are blueprints and pathways for cultural revival, economic empowerment, and community restoration.
“You turned struggle into strength, and that struggle forged community leaders who achieved excellence in technology, finance, medicine, the arts, and civil services. In that struggle, your commitment produced entrepreneurs who built companies shaping global markets, and I believe it also produced scholars who enriched the academic world and influenced policy,” he said.
The LG said the return of the Kashmiri Pandit community reflects that after 2019 a new Jammu Kashmir has been born. He observed that the Kashmiri Pandit community’s contribution towards building a Viksit Bharat would be significant and would play an important role in the nation’s development journey.
