Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 20: Global Kashmiri Pandit Diaspora (GKPD) expressed its deep condolences to the families of the victims of the Pulwama suicide terrorist attack and its determination to join hands with the people of India in prosecuting the perpetrators of this horrific crime.
“Over the last 30 years we have watched with horror as the gun entered Kashmir. The first soft target unfortunately were the Kashmiri Pandits and this led to their genocide and ethnic cleansing. Over all these years gun has expanded its reach and impact destroying everything that was precious in Kashmir. This greatest of evil was not nipped in the bud,” said the statement issued by GKPD.
The statement further said that it was this realization which birthed GKPD ten years ago, which initiated interaction at a policy level with the highest stakeholders in J&K and a signal achievement was the creation of a Joint Memorandum of Understanding, signed by over 30 organizations and nearly 15,000 individuals, reflecting the common demands of the Kashmiri Pandit community.
GKPD will be submitting its petition to the UNHRC and affiliated bodies in the Summer of 2019 followed by similar exercises at the EEC and other international venues. More formal legal recourse steps will follow.
“There is urgency to asking those who have been in governance in Kashmir as to who bears accountability for the slide in Kashmir which is now possibly headed to another Syria or Afghanistan.
In this context, a GKPD Conclave will be held on February 23, 2019 (Saturday) from 7.30 pm to 9.30 pm,”
The Speakers who have given their confirmation of participation included Abdul Rahim Rather, former Finance Minister and senior leader Jammu and Kashmir National Conference; Muzzafar Hussain Baig, Member Parliament and senior leader Jammu and Kashmir People’s Democratic Party; Sajjad Gani Lone, former MLA and Chairman Jammu & Kashmir People’s Conference; Ravinder Raina, former MLA and State President Jammu & Kashmir Bhartiya Janata Party and Manish Tewari, Ex. Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting and senior leader Indian National Congress.
This Conclave will be an opportunity for the global audience to hear speakers’ perspectives and policy positions on the theme of the conference in the light of the present-day developments.
Follow our WhatsApp channel