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| Panun Kashmir: The Unaddressed National Imperative | | SANKALP | 
By Kuldeep Raina
For nearly four decades, the greatest human tragedy of the subcontinent has remained unaddressed. The continued genocide, forced exodus and persecution of the indigenous people of the Kashmir Valley, the Kashmiri Pandits, has been put under the carpet by successive governments. This has happened in a country that prides itself on being the largest democracy and a sovereign, socialist, secular republic.
The question is fundamental: how can a nation ignore its own people when their very survival is at stake?
Instead of treating this as a pressing national issue, the state has chosen to nomenclate a community of genocide victims and survivors as "Migrants". This official nomenclature is not neutral. It rubs salt on their wounds. It is a deliberate ploy to dilute the gravity of the tragedy and amounts to appeasement of a section of the population that has been the perpetrator of this heinous crime.
The struggle of the affected community, demanding recognition of its woes, deprivations and the systemic denial by concerned authorities, has been left abandoned in its own country. Their voice needs to be heard, and should have been heard on a war footing long ago. The Indian State must answer: why this denial? Why prolong the agony of its own citizens? Why ignore an issue that has catastrophic implications for the future of the nation? How can the extermination of a community for its faith be accepted as a fait accompli? Why is this not the prime national issue?
What, then, is the difference between the erstwhile governments and the present dispensation with regard to displaced Kashmiri Pandits? When will this issue be addressed? We need answers and we need solutions. When will the authorities take Pandits into confidence? When will they listen to their problems?
We have perhaps reached a stage where the present Central Government has reached its threshold. To expect Shreeman Modi Ji to perform political miracles would be too much. This government has done commendable, appreciable work on many fronts. Yet, on the issue of Kashmir and Kashmiri Pandits, its approach appears to follow the same path as the erstwhile governments.
The ouster of Kashmiri Pandits from Kashmir is not merely a displacement. It is the ouster of the Indian civilizational presence from Kashmir. Any compromise on this will lead to serious consequences. The central question, therefore, is the restoration of that Indian civil presence, which is embodied by the Kashmiri Pandits.
Their rehabilitation cannot be on a temporary or reversible basis. It has to be on a non-refoulement basis, as a permanent and irreversible feature.
It is not the responsibility of the Pandits alone to agitate and demonstrate for the restoration of the Indian presence. Indians at large have to join this sacred mission of restoration. The nationalist populace must create a situation where the Government is left with no option but to think and decide on the creation of Panun Kashmir in the Kashmir Valley. The national thinking across the political spectrum has to compete for this national imperative.
If Pandits survive, India survives. Pandits can survive only by their rehabilitation in Panun Kashmir, as per the historical Margdarshan Resolution of December 1991 adopted by the displaced Kashmiri Pandit community.
If any voice has consistently articulated this demand, it is Panun Kashmir. Panun Kashmir is the sole national voice demanding rehabilitation on a non-refoulement basis for the long term. The only viable way forward is the creation of Panun Kashmir in the Kashmir Valley. It is the only answer to the menacing eastward march of Jehadi Islam. If India has to secure its civilizational future, the answer is Panun Kashmir. The sooner it is created, the better. Delay is at the nation's own peril.
One thing is certain: the BJP is not the sole arbiter of Hindu aspirations. It does not hold this mandate solely, unless it pursues it vigorously. The nationalist populace has to look for alternatives. National necessities cannot wait any longer. We cannot allow political groups and so-called opinion makers to brush aside this alarming situation and avoid or prolong a suitable, everlasting solution.
For this to happen, Panun Kashmir must evolve into a national movement, competing on national issues alongside other national parties. It can serve as a role model in addressing national issues with clarity and conviction. If governments can engage with any party, group or people, what is the hesitation in engaging with Panun Kashmir? What is wrong in listening to its point of view?
The priorities, therefore, are clear:
1. A national-level political competition on national issues, where the Pandit question is placed at the centre.
2. Recognition of the Panun Kashmir movement as a national movement.
3. Immediate engagement of Panun Kashmir in dialogue by the Central Government.
Jai Bharat-Jai Panun Kashmir
(The writer is General Secretary Panun Kashmir)
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