Kashmiri Pandits stage a protest in New Delhi. Tribune file |
Leading advocacy groups championing the cause of Kashmiri Pandits for a long, the All India Kashmiri Samaj (AIKS) and the Jammu and Kashmir Vichar Manch (JKVM) on Monday expressed concerns at the targeted killings of non-Muslim Minorities, especially the Pandits, and demanded of the Centre to institute Minority Commission in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir.
Expressing a sense of urgency of attention at the spurt in killings of Pandits and members of other non-Muslim minorities groups in the past few months, the president of AIKS, Dr. Ramesh Raina, and the president of JKVM, Dileep Mattoo jointly addressed reporters to flag the “pains of the Pandits” on their alleged neglect by Centre and the local Administration, even after the abrogation of Article 370.
They, however, lauded the Central government, the local Administration, the Police, and Security agencies for their efforts to bring normalcy to the Valley, but ruled that nothing concrete was done for the welfare of the Pandits.
A sustained effort by nefarious forces, inimical to India, has been mounted not to allow the return of normalcy. Raina wondered why a Minority Commission had not been constituted in J and K yet, which is a Constitutional obligation of the Government.
“The Pandits are the first line of defense of the country in Kashmir,” Raina said. “The threat of the sustainability of the community is exacerbating at a fast pace and needs to be addressed quickly and decisively at the highest leadership level,” he added.