Displaced Kashmiri Pandits jointly hail 20 June as the World Refugee Day

Jammu,June 20 (Scoop News) -Various displaced Kashmiri Pandit Organizations today protested in front of  United Nations Military Observatory Group (UNMOG) Sainik Colony Jammu against  the apartheid, human rights violations and apathetic approach of Govt. towards displaced Kashmiri Pandits.

    Kashmiri Pandits Organizations including All India Kashmiri Samaj (AIKS), Kashmiri Pandit Sabha Ambphalla (KPS), Jammu Kashmir Nationalist Movement (JKNM), Roots in Kashmir (RIK), Kashmiri Hindu Council. (KHC),Jammu Kashmir National United Front (JKNUF),United Kashmiri Pandit youth Forum (UKPYF),All Displaced Co-ordination Committee (ADCC) & Vitasta Sewa Samaj ( Nagrota) participated in protest.

      Speaking on the occasion Dr.K.N.Pandita Convener JKNM demanded that Kashmiri Pandits living in Exile be given the proper nomenclature of Internally Displaced Persons and all facilities recommended for this category of refugees be provided to them.

Prof. A.N.Sadhu President Kashmiri Pandit Sabha Jammu while commenting on the return rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits said that Kashmiri Pandits should be rehabilitated in the native land in accordance with the norms set forth by the UNHR Charter.

     A.K.Diwani President JKNUF lambasted the state as well as Central Govt. for terming Kashmiri Pandits as migrants instead of internally displaced persons. By denying rightful status Kashmiri Pandits have been deprived of a succor that would have been accrued to them as internally displaced persons.

      The other organizations were represented by S/Sh PL Budgami, H N Tickoo, Rakesh Bhat, Virender Kuchroo, B.L.Raina, Sunny Ambardar,Ashwani Bhat & Chand ji Khar

 Later an appeal was submitted to.Ban Ki Moon, Secretary General United Nations through UNMOG Jammu. l

       Appeal reads that in recent years have seen a sudden spate in the number of refugees fleeing their native places and seeking shelter at safer places. The reason generally is man made calamities, mostly ethnic, communal or sectarian clashes.

United Nations Human Rights Declaration provides much relief to international refugees and exhorts stable governments and nations to extend help to the helpless refugees. NGOs play a constructive roll and the UN is the largest organization to come to the succour of the affected people.

Unfortunately 300.000 Kashmir Pandits, indigenous residents of Kashmir Valley (Indian part), were hounded out of their homeland in 1990 by religious extremists and terrorists working in tandem. After their exodus, they found shelter in different parts of India.

Ironically the Indian government as well as the state government termed them “migrants” and not Internally Displaced Persons, in accordance with the definition of UN Human Rights Charter. Despite remonstrations, the internally displaced persons were unable to get their status corrected. They did not cross the international borders and most of them live in refugee camps. By denying them the rightful status, they are deprived of succour that would have accrued to them as IDPS.

    We demand that Kashmiri Pandits living in exile since 1990 be given the proper nomenclature of Internally Displaced Persons and all facilities recommended for this category of refugees be provided to them.

     We also demand that their return and rehabilitation in the native land should be in accordance with the norms set forth by the UN Human Rights Charter and relevant bodies of the UN, especially the clause of their concentrated rehabilitation in their original home land with foolproof security so that any chance of their refoulment is eliminated.

We appeal big powers especially the US, UK, Russian Federation and the members of European Union to draw the attention of the Government of India to the plight of these IDPs and take realistic steps of their secured rehabilitation in their land or origin viz. Kashmir.

    We also appeal to the US and European Union countries to give asylum to Kashmiri Pandit Internally Displaced Persons when approached.  This is their constitutional and moral obligation.

 It is the moral duty of the UN body and its members to save this ancient ethnic group from physical and spiritual disaster as its culture is faced with extinction.

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