Global Kashmri Pandit Conclave urges Centre to redress the situation in J&K

The Global Kashmiri Pandit Conclave, while expressing its disappointment on the Kahsmiri Pandit's issue, has redrawn the attention of the national and international fora on the plight of the community.

A two-day Global Kashmiri Pandit Conclave was held on February 25 and 26 at the Sai Auditorium in Delhi, which was organised by the Global Kashmiri Pandit Diaspora (GKPD) and the Jammu Kashmir Vichar Manch (JKVM).

The conclave was attended by 700 delegates from across the world.

'Sadhguru' Jaggi Vasudev delivered the keynote address at the conclave. Apart from him, leading intellectuals, media influencers, academics, social and political activists from within and outside the community also spoke at the conclave.

The conclave was dedicated to leading Kashmiri Pandit activists who have passed away in exile.

Explaining ways of building the narrative, Sadhguru said, "You can demand from the Central government to at least acknowledge the tragedy that unfolded in Kashmir and the injustice faced by the community members.

"In every major city across the country, there must be a street, circle or square named after Kashmir, or there must be a Kashyapa mountain or a peak," said Sadhguru.

Surinder Kaul, Co-founder of GKPD, said that Kashmiri Pandits' genocide is continuing even today and every death is bringing the community closer to extinction.

"There has been continuing lack of engagement by the government of India with the community. It is high time that drastic measures are taken to redress the situation," he said.

The team of the film 'The Kashmir Files' was felicitated at the event. Director Vivek Agnihotri, along with actors Anupam Kher, Pallavi Joshi, Bhasha Sumbly and Sourav Verma were felicitated with the 'Vitasta Purusharth Samman' for their work in bringing the story of Kashmiri Pandits' genocide to the screen.

Tennis player Ankita Raina and Wushu player Kuldeep Handoo were also felicitated for making the community proud with their achievements on the filed.

Over two days, panel discussions were held where several eminent people like Anand Ranganathan, Ashwini Upadhyay, Rajiv Malhotra, Major Gaurav Arya, Jaideep Karnik, Pradeep Dutta, Makarand Paranjape among others deliberated on key matters concerning the community and suggested what could be done to come out of the current impasse .A

The panelists applauded the community for their resilience in face of extreme adversity and expressed shock and disbelief that a genocide of this magnitude happened and the community was still awaiting justice.A

Community leaders Surinder Ambardar and Ajey Bharti, senior advocate Ashok Bhan, journalists Asha Khosa and R.K. Mattoo, academics Sudhir Sopory and Amitabh Mattoo and senior community activists C.L Gadoo, H.L. Bhat and T.N. Razdan attended the conclave and expressed their sadness that even after 33 years, Kashmiri Pandits continue to remain in exile.

A souvenir was released at the event to mark the occasion, which has messages of support from politicians and lawmakers from across the world. The conclave resolution was tabled, which received overwhelming support from the delegates.

The community has urged the Centre to engage with the Kashmiri Pandits, and called upon the government to support the Kashmiri Pandits (Recourse, Restitution, Rehabilitation and Resettlement) Bill, 2022 tabled in the Rajya Sabha.

The delegates also held a candle light vigil to voice their protest against the killing of community member Sanjay Sharma in J&K's Pulwama district on Sunday.