Kashmiri Pandit Trade Union opposes separate colonies for Pandits

Opposing the demand of separate colonies for Pandits in the Valley, Kashmiri Pandit Trade Union leader Sampat Prakash on Wednesday dubbed the call as "a conspiracy" of the Hindu nationalists of India, adding that members of the trade union will be holding a hunger strike for a day against the nationalists' "design" at Pratap Park here on June 4.

"The demand for separate colonies for Pandits is a conspiracy of the Hindu nationalists of India, who had launched the infamous Praja Parishad movement in Jammu in 1952, which was rejected by Kashmiri Pundits in the Valley, because that was aimed at destroying Kashmiri nationalism and religious harmony, which has been a hallmark of our Kashmiriyat," Prakash told ANI.

"I oppose to such demands. My opposition is based on 'historical sense' and brotherhood that Kashmiri Pandits enjoy with Muslims in the Valley. Kashmiri Pandits too want to visit Mughal Gardens in Gulmarg and Pahalgam and will love to ride horses and 'Shikaras', but if we have been told to live separately, how will we do all these," he questioned.

"We will not let anyone disturb our traditional harmony, brotherhood and Kashmiriyat. And thus, we have decided to go on a hunger strike for a day against the nationalists' design at Pratap Park here on June 4," said Prakash.

"We all know that in 1947 when whole subcontinent was engulfed by communal violence and lakhs of people were massacred and crores were forced to migrate, it was only Kashmir that witnessed communal harmony," he said.

"Pandits were living as microscopic minority when Pakistani tribal raiders invaded Kashmir. It were Kashmiri Muslims who sheltered us in their houses and gave us their clothes, identity and even names to save us from the wrath of raiders," he added, while highlighting communal harmony and religious brotherhood as the core to Kashmiriyat.

Meanwhile, the Kashmiri Pandit Sabha (KPS) has appealed to the Centre to intervene into the issue after the Jammu and Kashmir government under pressure from various separatist factions against the proposed move to provide land to non-state subjects and establish composite colonies for Kashmiri Pandits said it won't establish separate colonies for migrant Pandits in the Valley.

The KPS appealed to the Central Government to decisively intervene into the matter.