Protests in US over killing of pandits in Kashmir

C K Arora in Washington

Kashmiri pandits living in the United States have expressed shock and anguish over the killing of seven of their community in Sangrampora in the Kashmir valley on March 21.

Terming this an ''ethnic cleansing'', Kashmiri Overseas Association President Lalit Wanchoo and Vijay K Sazawal of the Indo-American Kashmir Forum said a new exodus of pandits could be expected from the valley.

Both groups also met Ambassador Naresh Chandra on March 25 to express their disappointment with the handling of the issue by New Delhi.

They said the Indian government should reassess its policy towards the pandits and publicly acknowledge past mistakes towards their community in Kashmir.

They criticised the Indian government for ''its lack of understanding or appreciating the many complex issues" facing the Kashmiri pandits in an increasing fundamentalist culture. ''Our community has paid a very high price for its loyalty to India.''

They urged the government to relocate the pandits both in and outside Kashmir in a secured district tithing the valley ''to prevent future Sanramporas.'' They added that a portion of the ''generous aid'' provided by the Centre to the state could be used for such resettlement efforts.

The pandits wanted the state government to prepare a white paper on the long-term survival of the community in Kashmir as a minority considering its wishes for ''maximum autonomy''. The central government should directly take over the issues of security, social and economic welfare, children's education and the well-being of the community, they said.

It should allocate special funds for these issues. ''Not doing so is perhaps most reprehensible and affects the human rights and survival issues that are faced by our community daily in Kashmir and in refugee camps outside,'' they said.

They also criticised the state government for threatening the pandits with institutional hardship if they did not return to the valley soon. ''Such ill-advised and poorly timed policy announcements from the state government only added to the belligerence of Islamic militants,'' they felt.