PM Modi committed to return of Kashmir Pandits with dignity: J-K LG Manoj Sinha

Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Thursday said that the return of the Kashmiri Pandit community to the valley, with full dignity and security, is a commitment made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The L-G emphasised that the terror ecosystem in J-K tried to bury the truth, but the terrorists and their support networks who sowed terror and struck at the souls of generations will never be forgiven or forgotten.

"The return of Kashmiri Pandits with full dignity and security is the commitment of Prime Minister Narendra Modi", Sinha said while addressing the release of a book titled 'Kashmir-Nativity Regained', authored by Prof Ashok Kaul.

He noted that Jammu and Kashmir has undergone a significant transformation since 2019. "The adversary's sinister plot to destroy the dreams and destiny of people of the UT has been decisively dismantled. Through tireless effort, this land's ancient glory has been restored, and development has been accelerated. Very soon, this soil will be completely freed from the scourge of terrorism."

The book 'Kashmir-nativity regained' explores the Kashmiri Pandit exodus and captures the terror of dark days and the lasting devastation of being wrenched from ancestral roots.

"I salute the indomitable spirit of the Kashmiri Pandit community. Every displaced family carried within it a living ember of Kashmir. In the crucible of struggle and adversity, they preserved philosophy, spirituality, culture, language, and traditions. Even in agony, they unearthed possibilities and scaled new pinnacles of success," the lieutenant governor said.

Sinha highlighted the launch of the Kashmiri migrant web portal in 2021, which aims to recover houses and lands of the Kashmiri Pandit community that have been encroached upon.

"I firmly believe that among the world's gravest sorrows is the agony of becoming a stranger on one's own soil. This is precisely what had transpired in Jammu and Kashmir," he said.

The Lieutenant Governor added that the pain stemming from the massacre of Kashmiri Pandits by terrorists in 1989-90 is so profound that even time has not dulled it. "The torment of abandoning homes overnight, of being uprooted from one's roots, lingers like thorns in the veins of displaced families even today," he said.

Calling on the youth to never forget the atrocities committed by terrorists, Sinha said, "The younger generation must never forget that Pakistan-backed terrorists have also spilled the blood of thousands of innocent Kashmiri Muslims. Many cases are so heartrending that words falter in their retelling. Justice has begun flowing to those families since last year, with efforts underway to fulfil their employment needs alongside other essentials."

The LG said that in August 2019, when Prime Minister Modi abolished Article 370 in August 2019, it instilled hope that the younger generation of the Kashmiri Pandit community could reclaim their roots without fear.