Panun Kashmir, a prominent organisation of displaced Kashmiri Pandits, on Monday criticised the recently held Global Kashmiri Pandit Conclave in Srinagar, describing it as an attempt to “manufacture narratives while ignoring the fundamental issues arising out of the exile of Kashmiri Pandits”.
The conclave, held following the week-long Global Kashmiri Pandit Heritage Tour titled ‘Praagaash’ (The First Light), was attended by members of the Kashmiri Pandit community from India and abroad. The event focused on celebrating the community’s journey of resilience, renaissance and return, and concluded with the adoption of a resolution outlining a roadmap for rehabilitation, cultural preservation and dignified return to the Valley.
Addressing a press conference in Jammu, Panun Kashmir leaders alleged that the continuing policy approach towards Kashmiri Pandits reflected a deep lack of understanding of the community’s concerns and had failed to provide any meaningful roadmap for justice, recognition, restitution and political resolution.
Referring to the Srinagar gathering, Panun Kashmir convener Dr Agnishekhar claimed that it was organised by a group of overseas Kashmiri Pandits under the guise of a “heritage tour” and lacked any representative character to speak on behalf of the displaced community.
He alleged that the conclave promoted a narrative of normalcy in Kashmir while overlooking the concerns of displaced families, Prime Minister’s Package employees and those affected by the exodus.
“The tragedy of the Kashmiri Hindu community appears to have entered a new phase where genocide survivors are invited to celebrate heritage before the nation has even acknowledged the crime that severed them from that heritage. The victims remain exiled, justice remains absent and rehabilitation remains elusive, yet we are repeatedly offered heritage tours as if civilisational dispossession can be cured through sightseeing,” he said.
He further alleged that similar initiatives had been organised in the past but had consistently failed to address what he termed the central issue of the genocide and forced displacement of Kashmiri Pandits.
The organisation also criticised proposals for creating another apex body for Kashmiri Pandits, claiming that earlier such efforts had yielded little tangible outcome.
Reiterating its long-standing position, the organisation demanded the creation of Panun Kashmir — a separate Union Territory within the Kashmir Valley with constitutional safeguards to ensure the rehabilitation, security and political empowerment of Kashmiri Pandits.
