The Hindu : Kashmiri Pandits observe 'Holocaust Day'

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Monday, Jan 20, 2003

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Kashmiri Pandits observe 'Holocaust Day'

Chandigarh Jan. 19. Nearly 600 displaced Kashmiri Pandit families living here and in the satellite towns of Mohali and Panchkula today observed `Holocaust Day'.

At a community gathering here, president of the Panun Kashmir Movement, Ashwani Kumar Chrungoo, said, "It was on January 19, 1990 that fundamentalist organisations in the Valley executed their design of ethnic cleansing of Kashmir and our minority community was given the choice to leave by a specific date or face death."

Demanding that the Pandits be involved any dialogue to resolve the Kashmir issue, he said, "No permanent solution to the issue can be arrived at if the community, whose history is intrinsically weaved with that of Kashmir, is left out. We are also demanding a separate homeland for nearly seven lakh members of our community within the Valley and having a Union Territory status. Many of the displaced community members, who migrated over a decade back leaving behind their home and hearth, are yet to settle as they have no jobs or proper houses to live in. The Government must take a sympathetic view of their plight."

Torch-light demonstration

In a bid to highlight the problems of the Pandits, members of the youth wing of the All-India Kashmiri Samaj staged a torch-light demonstration in New Delhi today. The protestors, who raised anti-Pakistan and anti-Musharraf slogans, demanded a homeland for the displaced community.

"The entire community is now in its 12th year of forced exile and is scattered all over the country. The main sufferers are the youth who feel betrayed, cheated and shattered," R.K. Bhat, president of the Samaj, said. "We demand relief to the needy migrants and medical and financial aid."

PTI

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