A day after former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti called for an inclusive and gradual plan for the respectful return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits, a group from the community rejected the proposal calling it a distraction meant to shift focus away from the genocide, forced exodus, and ongoing injustice faced by Kashmiri Pandits.
On Monday, Mehbooba had held her first interaction in five years with Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, with the Pandits’ return on top of her agenda. In her meeting with LG, she demanded that two Assembly seats should be reserved for Pandits, and every Pandit family should get half a kanal of free government land.
In a statement Kashmiri Samiti Delhi, under the leadership of its President Sumeer Chrungoo, along with the former President L N Dhar, strongly rejected the proposal by Mehbooba Mufti submitted to the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha, regarding the so-called “dignified return and rehabilitation” of Kashmiri Pandits.
“The community views this proposal as yet another diversionary tactic – a subterfuge – aimed at diluting and deflecting attention from the genocide, exodus, and continued denial of justice to the Kashmiri Pandit community. Such overtures cannot compensate for three and a half decades of displacement, dispossession, and deep trauma inflicted by Islamist terror, supported, either actively or passively, by large sections of the Valley’s majority population,” the statement said.
“The memories of the targeted killings, threats, and forced migration of Kashmiri Pandits in 1990 remain vivid and unresolved. The idea of reconciliation with elements who still view Kashmir as a “political dispute” and continue to justify separatism and militancy is not only premature but also deeply insensitive. It is concerning that Mehbooba Mufti continues to emphasize a “political solution” without unequivocally condemning the terrorist violence that drove the Pandit community out of their ancestral homes,” it added.
The statement said that instead of acknowledging the historic decision of the Indian Parliament to abrogate Articles 370 and 35A, which laid the foundation for genuine integration, Mehbooba Mufti clings to outdated narratives.
“She must first demonstrate sincerity by publicly condemning cross-border terrorism and the ideological radicalization that fueled the exodus of minorities from the Valley. Her track record – including opposition to the demand for a secure, one-place resettlement of Pandits – reveals her political opportunism, not empathy,” the statement said.
“The proposal ignores the core demand of the community: a structured and secure return under the framework of the 1991 Margdarshan Resolution, which calls for the creation of a separate Homeland within the Valley, where Kashmiri Pandits can live in dignity, safety, and with full constitutional rights,” it added.
The Kashmiri Samiti reiterated that no return or rehabilitation will be acceptable without first addressing the genocide and forced exodus of Kashmiri Pandits.
“Separate Homeland is not a matter of convenience, but of survival and safety. The idea of scattering the community across the Valley is untenable and insulting. Mehbooba Mufti and other Valley-based political leaders must engage in honest dialogue with legitimate and recognized representatives of the Kashmiri Pandit community, not issue unilateral statements or symbolic proposals,” the statement said
They appealed to the Government of India and the Lieutenant Governor not to entertain any proposals that do not align with the legitimate aspirations of the community as articulated in the Margdarshan Resolution and endorsed by the wider diaspora.
“The path to justice and return must begin with truth, not with appeasement or political tokenism,” the statement said.
