Kashmiri Overseas Association
24, Sartell Road, Waltham, MA 02451,
U.S.A.
Tel: (781) 893-4982
Email: koausa@koausa.org . Web
URL: www.koausa.org
Shri Lal Krishan Advani
Home Minister
Government Of India
Dear Sir:
The overseas community of Kashmiri
Pandits (Hindus) has been keenly watching the situation as it has been
unfolding in India after the recent terrorist attacks and is particularly
interested in the situation in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. We are very
much shocked and outraged at these terrorist attacks. We relate to such
acts of terrorism, as we have ourselves been victims of terrorism and fundamentalism.
You very well know that our community was uprooted from our homeland "Kashmir."
The ethno-religious cleansing of the Kashmiri Hindus from their six thousand-year
old habitat is one of the greatest human tragedy of the last century.
No one knows better than you that
Pakistan has been sponsoring the terrorist violence for many years which
has resulted in the loss of life of thousands of innocent civilians; rendered
hundreds of thousands of people refugees in their own country; thousands
of Indian security forces have been martyred fighting this menace; and
property and infrastructure worth billions has been destroyed. It is very
clear that Pakistan and those operating from there want to create instability
in India and want the Jammu and Kashmir state to secede from India. The
need of the hour is to take tough steps against the terrorists and their
sponsors across the Line of Control. Any self-respecting nation has every
right to defend its people against terrorism. Government of India has to
make its own choices, independent of the pulls and pressures, in order
to safeguard and strengthen the unity and integrity of the country.
You are also aware of the plight
of the Kashmiri Hindus; we are now in the twelfth year of forced exodus
from Kashmir. This community is living as refugees in their own country.
Everything we owned in Kashmir has either been destroyed or occupied by
the militants and their supporters. Others are being forced to sell their
properties. It seems that Kashmiri Hindu community is paying a very big
price for its loyalty to India, and yet, there appears to be very little
appreciation and understanding by the Government of India. Our continuous
efforts of appeals and requests to the central government as well to the
state government representatives have not yielded any concrete results
yet.
After having been forced out of
their homeland, Kashmiri Hindus continue to live in refugee camps in most
undignified and un-hygienic conditions without even basic necessities available
to them. The future of our children seems permanently frozen within the
confines of the refugee camps. Our community feels insecure and left out.
At this juncture words are not enough and the need of the hour is an action
plan from the Government of India that will be implemented to overcome
pain and sufferings of this unfortunate hapless community.
The Government of India has to develop
a short and a long-term plan for resettlement of the displaced Kashmiri
Hindu community. This community has to be assured of security and safety
for its long-term survival. No such plans are visible today - the community
feels that the Indian Government has long since abandoned it. We want to
emphasize that the need of our community's survival is exceptionally urgent;
otherwise it will be extinct in the near future. We have the following
concerns and appeal to your goodself that Government of India take necessary
steps to address these concerns:
Kashmiri Hindu's should be declared/recognized
as internally displaced people. Kashmiri Pandits by virtue of being aborigines
and the original inhabitants of the Kashmir valley are fundamental party
to Kashmir issue and have a birthright to their homeland. Kashmiri Pandits
have so far been deliberately ignored for any talks on Kashmir, which is
very unfortunate. Not including Kashmiri Pandits in any kinds of talks
on Kashmir will have far reaching effect on the over all politics of the
state in particular, and the Republic of India as a whole. Their participation
in any negotiated settlement of Kashmir is of vital importance to the democratic
and secular profile of India and therefore should be included in each and
every step of it.
Being the indigenous people of the
Kashmir Valley, Kashmiri Hindus have an inalienable right on Kashmir and
that they exercise their right to live and grow in Kashmir not on the basis
of the goodwill of the Muslims of Kashmir, but as a fundamental right by
virtue of being the aboriginal natives of this land. In any kind of settlement
of Kashmir issue, Pandits are looking for a territory in Kashmir Valley
with political authority and organized civil society where constitution
of India can be fully practiced.
There has been a complete lack of
prosecution of terrorists and militants, including those who have openly
admitted to wanton killing of Kashmiri Hindus in the past. Such terrorists
should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
To those living in refugee camps,
provide additional assistance in order to improve their living conditions
including better sanitation, clean water supply, and bathrooms facilities
etc., The current facilities provided to the refugees do not meet basic
human living needs. Provide free health care to Kashmiri Hindus at all
the major health care institutions in India and establish special health
care facilities for those who are living in camps. Provide means to meet
all educational needs of the refugee children such as teachers, classrooms,
and academic supplies.
A special quota in all government
educational institutions all over India should be reserved for the Kashmiri
Hindu children because of the unfavorable conditions under which they are
studying and growing up. These children's future should not be sacrificed
while the refugees stay in limbo for years and decades.
A special quota in all central government
agencies should be reserved for Kashmiri Hindus because of the unfavorable
conditions in the Jammu & Kashmir state and lack of opportunities else
where.
Implement a plan to ensure that
property left behind by the refugees is preserved and protected and illegal
occupants thrown out. If Kashmiri Hindus lose their houses and property
to Kashmiri Muslims, their ethnic cleansing will become permanent. Our
places of worship have been burnt, vandalized and damaged. We strongly
urge the Government of India that our temples and cultural institutions
be secured, preserved and protected in the valley.
We know Kashmir will never be the
same without the Kashmiri Hindu community. To make sure the Kashmiri Pandit
community survives these unfortunate times, we believe that the Government
of India should take immediate initiatives to combat the issues of security,
social and economic welfare, children's education, and the well being of
the community. Once again, on behalf of the Overseas Kashmiri Pandit community,
I urge the Government of India to take our concerns into serious consideration
and take necessary actions to address them. We thank you for giving us
this opportunity to present our concerns and issues to you and hope to
see an action plan in this regard.
Sincerely,
Sanjay Kaul
President
Kashmiri Overseas Association
