On Holocaust Day, Farooq Abdullah Invites Kashmiri Pandits to Return Home but Doubts Permanent Resettlement After Three Decades of Exodus

New Delhi: As displaced Kashmiri Pandits observed Holocaust Day to mark their mass flight from the Valley in 1990, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah said the community is always welcome to return to their homeland.  

Speaking to reporters during a two-day party programme in Jammu, the former chief minister said, “When will they return to Kashmir? Who is stopping them? No one is preventing them. They should come back, as it is their home,”. 

Abdullah added that many Pandit families never left and continue to live peacefully in their villages. “Many Kashmiri Pandits are currently living in the Valley and have not left their villages,” he said, while he added that the invitation to return remains open.

However, Abdulllah, expressed scepticism about whether displaced families would choose to resettle permanently after more than three decades away. 

“They have grown older; many are seeking medical treatment, and their children are studying in colleges, schools, and universities. They may visit, but I don’t think they will return to live there permanently,” said Abdullah. On Sunday evening, hundreds of members of the community, under the banner of Youth 4 Panun Kashmir, blocked the Jammu-Srinagar national highway near Jagti camp.

The demonstrators demanded a separate homeland in the Valley to ensure their safety and cultural continuity, and called for the passage of a bill in Parliament that would formally recognise their genocide.

The exodus of Kashmiri Pandits in early 1990 remains one of the most traumatic chapters in the Valley’s recent history. As terrorism surged, the minority community faced targeted killings, threats, and intimidation.

Estimates suggest that between 90,000 and 100,000 Pandits fled within just a few months, abandoning homes, land, and centuries-old cultural roots. Some sources place the figure even higher, at around 150,000 displaced persons. Families resettled in camps in Jammu, Delhi, and other parts of India, often living for years in temporary shelters such as the Jagti township near Jammu, which continues to be a focal point for protests and demands for rehabilitation.

Government records later documented over 200 civilian fatalities among Pandits between 1989 and 2004, while community leaders argue the toll was higher.

The annual observance of Holocaust Day on January 19 serves as a reminder of the trauma of forced migration and the unresolved question of return.

Abdullah recalled that during his tenure as chief minister, he had promised housing and support for displaced families. “I had assured them that the government would construct houses for them and provide the necessary support. After the fall of my government, it was in the Central government’s hands to implement the proposal,” he said.

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