Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 25: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued directions to Jammu and Kashmir Government and Ministry of Home Affairs Government of India urging it to take appropriate action within eight weeks in the complaint received by the Commission from Kundan Kashmiri, president Kashmiri Pandit Conference (KPC) and others and also inform him about the action taken in the matter within stipulated time frame.
Forwarding the application of the complaint to both J&K UT Government through Chief Secretary and Ministry of Home Affairs Government of India through Secretary, Home Affairs, the Commission urged them to take necessary action in the matter as per its directions.
The application was petitioned by Kundan Kashmiri on October 12 this year and it was placed for hearing on November 23.
In its application Kashmiri expressed dismay over selective killing of minority communities in Valley, in particular the innocent Kashmiri Pandits at the hands of terrorists which shook the whole community and who were feeling unprotected and were under the grip of fear psychosis.
The complainant said that there is a feeling among the community that the nation’s justice dispensing institutions, Governments and the political setup seems to be helpless to protect this minuscule community which is continuously facing grave tragedy over last three decades and has been waiting for justice.
It said the community today is finding itself at the threshold of becoming extinct, getting cut off from its roots, witnessing a gradual fading of its ethnicity and population, its culture, language, rituals, temples and shrines are slowly withering away.
Kashmiri has further mentioned that even after abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, the KPs struggle to get justice for the crimes committed against them seem to be unending . The Center has also not formulated any concrete plan to resettle the victims of terrorism as per their aspirations at one place in the Valley.
The displaced Pandits in general and KPC in particular pleaded for grant of indigenous status, because of having a unique ethno-religious culture that dates back over 5,000 years so as to protect its old historical link to Kashmir and to rehabilitate them in the Valley at “one place at the land of Kashyap “, preferably adjacent to Jammu region with all Constitutional and institutional guarantees.
The KPC also demanded an Advisory Council from the community be established under the auspices of the Ministry of Home Affairs/ PMO, subject matter experts and others to help in the development of a comprehensive plan to resettle the Kashmiri Pandits in the region besides foolproof protection along with protection of shrines and temples by constitution of a Temple & Shrine Board.
It also sought Commission’s intervention in urging GoI to recognise KPs as internally displaced persons instead of migrants.
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