Kashmiri Pundits, Sikhs meet EU delegation

A delegation of Kashmiri Pundits and Sikhs from Jammu and Kashmir, who form the minority communities of the state, met the European Union Delegation here today.

The delegation comprised of Lt.Gen. P. S. Mehta (Retired), the first Sikh from Kashmir to have attained this high rank of the Indian Army, Ashwani Kumar Chrungoo, President, Panun Kashmir and others.

While establishing the position of the Kashmiri Pundits and Sikhs as the indigenous stakeholders of the land of Kashmir the delegation highlighted their plight as victims of human rights violations, genocide and ethnic cleansing at the hands of the Islamic terrorist and fundamentalist forces, which, has forced them to live as refugees in their own country for the last 28 years.

"This Panun Kashmir delegation went to European Union delegation in India to apprise them of the situation that the Kashmiri Pundits have gone through for the last 30 years. Their exodus, their ethnic cleansing and their genocide are the main issues that were raised by us there and at the same time we said that the indigenous people of Kashmir have the primary and the first stake on the land of Kashmir," said Ashwani Kumar Chrungoo to ANI.

The delegation stressed upon the role of Pakistan and especially the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), an agency controlled by the Pakistan Army in causing death and destruction through cross border terrorism in the state.

The role of Pakistan and ISI needs no proof bigger than the banishment of the half a million original inhabitants of Kashmir -the Kashmiri Pandits. They became the targets of the hate crimes in Kashmir because of their different belief system.

Complete Islamisation and radicalisation of society in Kashmir spearheaded by the Hurriyat led to mass exodus of the Pandits from Kashmir in 1989-90.

The delegates said that Pakistan has been misusing the territory of Jammu and Kashmir state illegally under its occupation (Also called Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir) for nurturing terror infrastructure and terror training programmes against India.

India being an important global partner to eradicate terrorism from the world assumes greater role to create awareness and generate world opinion regarding the menace of terrorism and its after-effects on humanity at large.

Lt.Gen.Mehta told ANI, "I formed a part of the delegation being a native of Kashmir. Mr. Ashwani Kumar Chrungoo mentioned we have brought out our points to the EU delegation of the reality in Kashmir so that the delegation also gets to know the other side of the coin. Yes, militancy had heightened but the security forces have now been given a free hand by the government of India to eradicate this menace. The army and the security forces are doing a great job to my understanding. As and when the militancy is brought down to sub optimal levels there would be a situation where the political process can take off by the central and state government."

The Indian delegation also stressed that that umbilical cord which is now supporting the terrorists is the funding. If the funding line is snapped by the government or by the national security agencies then the foundation would be laid for t a resolution of Kashmir issue.

-ANI