From the Presidents Desk

 

The holy month of Shraavana brings with Lord Shiva's grace and a natural Transition from the scorching summer heat to the monsoon's torrential rains across our land. While these rains offer much-needed respite, they also bring with them challenges-landslides, floods, and widespread damage in many parts of the country. This season, like the cosmic dance of Lord Shiva as Nataraja, embodies both ecstasy and destruction-two inseparable faces of nature's rhythm. As a community, we observe this sacred month with deep devotion, culminating in Sawan Purnima, when Shiva is worshipped in his most benevolent form. Rakshan Bandhan soon follows, symbolizing the eternal bond of love between brothers and sisters. But this bond is not confined to blood relations; it is a sacred commitment towards the protection, dignity, and love for every girl and woman in society. It is a reaffirmation of our spiritual and cultural values. I extend my heartfelt greetings to all community members on these auspicious occasions. In a significant recent development, the Hon'ble President of India has forwarded a Private Member's Bill to Parliament for consideration. This bill pertains to the welfare and resettlement of the displaced Kashmiri Pandit (KP) community. Introduced by a Member of Parliament, the bill seeks to formally recognize the genocide suffered by KPs during the 1990s, propose a structured rehabilitation plan, and support the vision of a separate homeland in accordance with the Margdarshan Resolution of 1991. While the forwarding of this bill reflects growing national concern for our community and our long-standing suffering, we must also be vigilant. On close examination, it becomes clear that the bill, though couched in sympathetic language, essentially undermines the core vision of the Margdarshan Resolution. It appears to dilute the fundamental demand for a separate homeland and instead proposes solutions that may once again place our fate in the hands of those who were directly or indirectly complicit in our forced exodus. Let us remind ourselves: the genocide and ethnic cleansing we endured did not occur in isolation. It was a result of a long, systematic process of Islamist radicalization that targeted us since the advent of Islam in Kashmir and culminated in our mass displacement in 1990. Our properties were looted, our temples desecrated, and our women and children were brutalized. During those dark days, did any institution of the state-be it the Chief Minister, the police, or the so-called civil society -stand by us? No. Instead, they stood as silent spectators, and in many cases, active beneficiaries of our misery. We have lived among them, and we understand the duality and deception that some of them represent. The call for our rehabilitation cannot be on their terms. We seek to live in peace, dignity, and with a sense of security that only a separate homeland within the Indian Union can guarantee. This homeland must be governed directly by the Indian Constitution and safeguarded by national institutions. Our return must not just undo the injustice of the past-it must also ensure that such horrors are never repeated. Rehabilitation without safety is no justice. Return without dignity is no resolution. And reconciliation without accountability is no peace. Therefore, we reiterate our call to the Government of India and to all citizens of this great nation: support our demand for a separate homeland as envisioned in the Margdarshan Resolution. Support the passage of the Kashmiri Hindu Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Bill, which we have already submitted. This alone will ensure Recourse, Restitution, Rehabilitation, and Resettlement of the Kashmiri Pandit community in its rightful place in the heart of Kashmir, but under a secure and sovereign dispensation.

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Courtesy:  Sumeer Chrungoo and Koshur Samachar- 2025, August