Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI Jan 18: All India Kashmiri Samaj (AIKS) held a meeting at its office in Faridabad, Haryana today to commemorate the painful exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from Kashmir 34 years back on January 19,1990.
The meeting was presided over by its president Dr.Ramesh Raina and attended by the members who had come from different areas of Delhi NCR.
The meeting began with Dr. Raina stressing the need for the Government to pay serious attention to the existential issues of Kashmiri Pandits which begins with their homelessness and they being in unnoticed running exile for 34 years now. He added “As our future is tied to Kashmir and to start a new life there, this was the time when the authorities needed to take measures to assuage their fears”.
In this regard, he reiterated the AIKS Ambala Declaration-2023 which calls for the “creation of a legitimate Minority space for KP’s in Valley ” as the way forward to their long term sustainable rehabilitation in Kashmir which says KPs constitute a factorial importance in the socio-cultural construct of Kashmir. Minority space in their imagination is about equity, inclusion, identity and representation. They therefore need recognition, protection and promotion of their identity as a minority in a manner compatible with the protection of National Minorities. In the transformation that has taken place for the KP minorities since the last few decades in Kashmir, AIKS has considered this issue to prevent them from being written off from the socio-psychological memory of Kashmir.
The essential features of Ambala Declaration include declaration of KPs as a minority, constitution of a Minority Commission, creation of a conducive minority environment, political empowerment, constitution of Temples and Shrine Bill and three smart townships at district Headquarters Srinagar, Anantnag and Baramulla.
Continuing with its mission, Dr Raina re-affirmed that the date January 19, being observed every year as a Holocaust Day is a solemn occasion for KPs to remember their martyrs who laid down their lives for the service of the nation.
The meeting also demanded Constitution of Truth and Reconciliation Commission to probe the causes behind KPs genocide.
Meanwhile Kashmri Pandit Conference (KPC) president, Kundan Kashmiri appealed the community to observe Holocaust Day as Black Day tomorrow in camp and non camp settlements.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
