LG Manoj Sinha Reaffirms PM Modi’s Commitment to Kashmiri Pandits Return

New Delhi: Decades after their forced displacement, the question of Kashmiri Pandits return was brought into renewed focus on Thursday, as Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha reaffirmed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pledge to ensure their dignified and secure resettlement in the Valley.

Sinha was speaking at the launch of “Kashmir – Nativity Regained”, a book by Prof. Ashok Kaul that documents the Pandit exodus, the violence of the late 1980s and 1990s, and the community’s struggle to preserve its cultural identity despite displacement.

He said the terror ecosystem in Jammu and Kashmir had long attempted to suppress the truth, but those responsible for sowing fear and uprooting families “will never be forgiven or forgotten,”.

Reflecting on the exodus of 1989–90, he said  that the pain of leaving homes overnight continues to weigh heavily on displaced families.

Lieutenant Governor informed about the measures taken since 2019, including the Kashmiri migrant web portal launched in 2021 to recover encroached properties.

He added that justice is beginning to reach affected families, with employment and welfare initiatives underway.

Calling on the younger generation to remember the atrocities committed by Pakistan-backed terrorists, Sinha said that thousands of Kashmiri Muslims also lost their lives.

LG Sinha said many of those stories remain too painful to recount fully, but they must not be forgotten.

Sinha underlined that the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019 marked a turning point, instilling hope that displaced Pandits could reclaim their roots without fear.

He informed that Jammu and Kashmir has since undergone decisive change, with efforts to dismantle terror networks and accelerate development.

At the book release, Sinha praised the spirit of the Pandit community, that even in exile they safeguarded their traditions, language, and philosophy.

“Every displaced family carried within it a living member of Kashmir,” he said, adding that their endurance remains a vital part of the region’s story.

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