30/09/2026
STATEHOOD FOR WHOM?
DEMOCRACY FOR WHOM?
The Jammu & Kashmir Assembly has passed a resolution demanding restoration of statehood, with political parties supporting it.
In a statement Sh. Kuldeep Raina General Secretary Panun Kashmir asked before celebrating this as a triumph of democracy, let one uncomfortable question be asked:
WHERE ARE THE KASHMIRI PANDITS IN THIS DEMOCRATIC EQUATION?
Lakhs of Kashmiri Pandits, the original inhabitants of Kashmir, were hounded out of their ancestral homeland through terror, threats and targeted killings. Our homes were burned and looted, temples desecrated, properties occupied and orchards encroached upon, lamented Raina.
He added that the greatest indictment of the system is the catastrophe that unfolded when Jammu & Kashmir had an elected Assembly, an elected government and an elected Chief Minister.
The democratic institutions that were constitutionally responsible for protecting their citizens failed to prevent an entire community from being driven into exile.
And today, the same political system wants us to believe that everything has returned to normal simply because elections have been held and an Assembly is functioning , Raina further added.
Raina asserted that elections cannot delegitimize exile. An Assembly cannot erase genocide.A resolution cannot restore a stolen homeland.And political normalcy cannot be built on the permanent displacement of an entire community.
Democracy is not merely the right to cast a vote.Democracy means the right to live.
The right to worship. The right to own property.The right to live without fear because of one's faith.
Kuldeep Raina asked, "Where was this democracy when Kahmiri Pandits were being driven out? Where was the protection of the State when our homes were being burned and our temples desecrated?
Where was the rule of law when terrorists dictated who could remain in Kashmir and who had to flee?”
THESE QUESTIONS HAVE NOT DISAPPEARED.
They are still standing at the gates of every Assembly, every government office and every institution that claims to represent democracy , Raina claimed.
He underlined the need for recognising their position in unequivocal terms.
JUSTICE MUST PRECEDE STATEHOOD.
Until the political, constitutional, security and rehabilitation demands of the displaced Kashmiri Pandits are meaningfully addressed, the demand for restoration of statehood cannot be treated as the final word on Kashmir's democratic future.
*The Union/Lieutenant Governor's administration should continue until a credible framework is established to address the rights, security and dignified political rehabilitation of the displaced Kashmiri Pandits, he asserted.
Raina said that the State must undertake a rigorous security and administrative process to identify and remove from sensitive positions individuals who are credibly established to have links with terrorist organisations, extremist networks or activities hostile to the constitutional order.
Raina said that the objective must be crystal clear:
One law.One Constitution.One standard of justice.Zero tolerance for terrorism.
The massacres of Kashmiri Hindus, attacks on pilgrims and civilians, destruction and desecration of temples, burning and looting of houses cannot be swept under the carpet in the name of “normalcy.” This is not acceptable, Raina added.
NORMALCY WITHOUT JUSTICE IS A POLITICAL FICTION.
Raina asked the political establishment to seriously ponder upon that ;
When will the genocide be recognised?
When will justice be delivered?
When will our properties and rights be protected?
When will terrorism be completely defeated?
When will the rule of law become non-negotiable?
And when will the displaced Kashmiri Pandits be given a safe, secure and constitutionally protected Homeland in Kashmir?
We are not asking for charity.
We are demanding justice.
We are demanding accountability.
We are demanding security.
We are demanding constitutional dignity.
We are demanding the right to return, not as refugees but as equal citizens of our ancestral homeland, Raina demanded.
KASHMIR CANNOT BE DECLARED NORMAL WHILE ITS ORIGINAL INHABITANTS REMAIN IN EXILE.
STATEHOOD CANNOT BECOME A SUBSTITUTE FOR JUSTICE.
Kuldeep Raina said that It is time we understand ;
DEMOCRACY CANNOT MEAN MAJORITY RULE OVER THE PERMANENT EXILE OF A DISPLACED COMMUNITY.FIRST RECOGNITION OF THE GENOCIDE.THEN TALK OF STATEHOOD.RECOGNISE THE GENOCIDE. CARVE OUT PANUN KASHMIR FOR KASHMIRI PANDITS.
Media Secretary
M.K. Dhar
9906084385, 9419242080
[email protected]
Jai Bharat Jai Panun Kashmir
