Displaced Pandits’ initiative seeks reconciliation, return to Kashmir

With section recruitment down to astir zero and militant attacks waning this year, Kashmir connected Saturday (June 13, 2026) witnessed a uncommon propulsion to reconciliation and instrumentality of displaced Kashmir Pandits to the Valley, aft a batch of Pandits toured practice sites for six days to trial the grade of normalcy aft 36 years surviving apart.

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said this homecoming was the “truest victory”.

Dr. Surinder Koul, who heads the Global Kashmiri Pandit Diaspora, has pushed for an inaugural titled ‘Pragash’ to acceptable the signifier for “a historical dialogue, reflection, practice preservation, taste renaissance and assemblage empowerment.” Around 8 Pandit organisations person lent enactment to this initiative, and astir 100 Pandits toured practice sites crossed the Valley for a firsthand acquisition of the “changed situation”.

“Terrorism is nary longer a fearfulness origin successful Kashmir. We drove from Kupwara’s Tikker to Srinagar successful the mediate of the night. Dalgate successful Srinagar was buzzing with tourists and vendors. We privation to beryllium portion of the change,” said Mr. Koul.

Mr. Koul besides praised non-displaced Pandits who stayed backmost successful Kashmir and asked Muslims “to guarantee their protection”. “Pandits present are nether the extortion of Muslims till we each instrumentality to Kashmir,” helium added.

Referring to his gathering with Prime Minister Narendra Modi successful 2019 successful the United States, Mr. Koul said the initiative, Pragaash, was an effort to reconnect with our ancestry. “I retrieve Prime Minister Modi saying that Pandits person suffered a batch and the ambiance needs to beryllium changed with corporate efforts. Indeed, Kashmir has changed a lot,” said Mr. Koul.

Mr. Koul, accompanied by scores of Pandits from antithetic parts of the world, visited salient practice sites similar the Martand Temple, Kheer Bhawani, Sharda Peeth, and others to measure the crushed concern and motivate Pandits to instrumentality to Kashmir, which the assemblage near due to the fact that of raging militancy successful the 1990s.   

“I returned to Kashmir aft 36 years. I person 1 ailment that radical unreal not to person seen oregon heard thing successful 1990 erstwhile the assemblage was driven out. However, the fact remains that those who destroyed america besides destroyed their ain people. I indispensable authorities that Pandits are not anybody’s enemies. Places similar Martand temple are our corporate heritage, whether a Pandit oregon a Muslim,” said Mr. Koul.   

Scores of Pandits person pledged to instrumentality to Kashmir aft this tour. “I was from Srinagar’s Rainawari area. We person decided to travel backmost and go portion of Kashmir. Our eventual imagination is to settee present and dice here,” said Neerja Sadhu. She said spotting the Chinar histrion triggered a watercourse of memories from her puerility spent successful Kashmir. “Kashmir is simply a spiritual onshore and a torchbearer. It was an unbearable torture to permission Kashmir,” she added.

The community organised a first-ever two-day planetary league astatine the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) to bring unneurotic scholars, policymakers, entrepreneurs, younker leaders and artists nether the taxable “From Exile to Excellence – Kashmiri Pandit Journey of Resilience, Renaissance and Return.” “I salute the Lieutenant Governor and the J&K Police who made sacrifices to safeguard Kashmir,” said Mr. Koul. 

Kashmiri Pandits besides hosted erstwhile J&K Director General of Police R.R. Swain, the designer of a caller benignant of policing successful Kashmir, to steer the community’s plans to instrumentality to Kashmir.  

Speaking astatine the SKICC, L-G Sinha termed the two-day league arsenic “a infinitesimal of transformation”. “Those erstwhile uprooted from their homeland instrumentality and this homecoming is the truest victory,” said Mr. Sinha.

He called upon “distinguished members of the Kashmiri Pandit Community to acceptable up industries, world and taste institutions successful J&K that volition go the immortal communicative of their practice and supply opportunities to generations to come”.

“The travel of the Kashmiri Pandit assemblage has been scarred by genocide, exile and struggle. The satellite erstwhile witnessed their wounds and present the triumph. The assemblage chose a antithetic path. They refused to beryllium defined by wounds and struggle. Instead, they transformed that symptom into strength,” said Mr. Sinha.

Revival of panel

Speaking connected the occasion, Nasir Aslam Wani, advisor to J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, besides called for the revival of the Apex Committee connected the instrumentality and rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits.

“A structured dialog mechanics was indispensable to facilitate the dignified instrumentality of the displaced assemblage to the Valley. Kashmir would stay incomplete until Kashmiri Pandits returned and lived alongside Kashmiri Muslims erstwhile again,” said Mr. Wani.

He said contempt assorted rehabilitation packages, transit accommodations and initiatives introduced implicit the years, the larger nonsubjective of facilitating the instrumentality of Kashmiri Pandits had not been afloat achieved. He reiterated that some the communities “share a communal past and future”.

“The J&K authorities would soon initiate discussions with assemblage representatives and instrumentality steps towards reviving the Apex Committee, which was constituted successful 2009 to oversee the instrumentality and rehabilitation process of displaced Kashmiri Pandits,”he added.

The Pandit inaugural was besides attended by Uphaar Kotru, President, Kashmiri Overseas Association (KOA); Utpal Kaul, International Coordinator & Global Kashmiri Pandit Diaspora (GKPD); Ashwani Bhat, President, Kashmiri Pandit Association (KPA) Mumbai; Sanjay Koul, President All Minority Employees Association Kashmir (AMEAK); Autar Krishan Trakroo and others.