Advertisement

Updated January 19th, 2019 at 18:47 IST

Kashmiri Pandits demand creation of a separate township within Kashmir for them

Some members of the Kashmiri Pandit community gathered at the Raj Ghat here Saturday to mark the 29th anniversary of their forced exile from Kashmir and demanded the creation of a separate township in the valley for them.

| Image:self
Advertisement

Some members of the Kashmiri Pandit community gathered at the Raj Ghat here Saturday to mark the 29th anniversary of their forced exile from Kashmir and demanded the creation of a separate township in the valley for them.

They took an oath to return to Kashmir Valley and appealed to the government to fulfil its duty by facilitating their return.

They commemorated Kashmiri Pandit Exodus Day, the organisers said in a statement.

On this day in 1990 hundreds of thousands of protesters, along with armed militants, occupied streets of Kashmir shouting slogans against the minority community which eventually led to their exodus from the valley.

"Many Kashmiri Pandits were killed, raped and tortured before and after 19 January 1990 in a series of targeted killings of minority Pandits," it said.

READ| ''Kashmiris Are Unhappy As Autonomy Was Whittled Away'' Says Omar Abdullah

Remembering the night, Mona Razdan, one of the displaced Kashmiri Pandits, said that the night was "possibly the longest night of our lives".

"Mobs from all over the valley had occupied every single road in Kashmir. They shouted slogans against Pandits asking us to either join them or leave the valley," she said.

Regretting the current state of the exiled Kashmiri Pandit community, Vivek Raina, a young student, said, "More than 50,000 of our people perished in the inhabitable camps. They fell to snake and scorpion bites. There still is a refugee camp in Jammu that harbours more than 25,000 people and is no better than a concentration camp."

Abhishek Thathoo, a young school student, said, "It is so painful that we are almost like this country's stepsons despite the fact that we were the only people who upheld the values of Indian civilisation in Kashmir. We lost everything and got no justice. Don't I have the right to live in my home." 

The former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah stated that until the Kashmiri Pandits return to the valley, it will remain incomplete and not be at peace, he stated in a tweet. 

READ| "Fall From Grace" For First IAS Topper From Jammu And Kashmir

Advertisement

Published January 19th, 2019 at 18:36 IST

Your Voice. Now Direct.

Send us your views, we’ll publish them. This section is moderated.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Whatsapp logo