38 Kashmiri Pandit organisations endorse demand for separate homeland in Delhi meet
The participating groups reached a consensus for a secure, Constitutionally empowered Union Territory within Kashmir for the rehabilitation of displaced Pandits.
Thirty-eight Kashmiri Pandit organisations gathered in New Delhi to endorse a demand for a separate homeland with Union Territory status within Kashmir, according to the Daily Excelsior. The meeting, which included Youth 4 Panun Kashmir (Y4PK), aimed to create a common institutional platform for the community.
The participating organisations reached a consensus in line with the framework of the Margdarshan Resolution, 1991. While the exact geographical configuration of the proposed homeland requires further deliberation, the groups agreed that rehabilitation must be based on a secure and Constitutionally empowered Union Territory.
Y4PK stated in a handout that the meeting used an authenticated electronic voting mechanism. This allowed participants to record their positions by choosing to agree, disagree, or abstain.
The initiative was described as a democratic mechanism for community institutions to deliberate on issues including return, rehabilitation, security, identity, political empowerment, and the future of displaced Kashmiri Pandits. The organisations involved can retain their individual autonomy and identities while participating in this collective process.
The proceedings were observed by Padma Shri Dr. Rameshwar Nath Koul Bamzai, Col. Tej Kumar Tickoo (Retd.), Rajinder Premi, and Ashish Dhar.
The organisations included Panun Kashmir, Tika Lal Taploo Foundation, Satisar Society, Kashmiri Hindu Sabha, and several others.