JAMMU, Jun 15: The Panun Kashmir on Monday strongly criticised the recent conclave of NRI Kashmiri Pandits held in Srinagar following a heritage tour, alleging that the government-sponsored event sought to dilute the community’s long-standing political aspirations and misrepresent the realities faced by the community.
The Panun Kashmir, a leading organisation of displaced Kashmiri Pandits, said the NRI group lacked any representative character and could not speak on behalf of the displaced community, accusing the conclave participants of promoting a narrative of “normalcy” in Kashmir while ignoring the continued concerns of “displaced families, Prime Minister Package employees and genocide survivors”.
The first community-led Global Kashmiri Pandit Heritage Tour and Conclave, titled Praagaash (The First Light), was held in Srinagar from June 6 to 14 and attended by distinguished personalities of the Pandit community from India and abroad. The conclave adopted a resolution at the conclusion, outlining a roadmap for justice, rehabilitation, cultural preservation and the dignified return of the migrant community to the valley.
He claimed that the projection of normalcy was part of a broader attempt to showcase a “deceptive normalcy” while sidelining unresolved issues relating to the community’s displacement.
He also objected to statements suggesting there were no grievances against the local population, arguing that such remarks diluted the causes and consequences of the 1990 exodus and the killings of Kashmiri Pandits.
