Neethi KAUL started this petition to Government of India
India January 1990. The state of Jammu and Kashmir witnessed gruesome happenings, the likes of which had not been seen by the Pandits since the Afghan rule. The Hindus of the Kashmir Valley, were forced to flee their homes as a result of being targeted by JKLF and Islamist insurgents during late 1989 and early 1990. According to political scientist Alexander Evans, 95 percent of the Kashmiri Pandits living in the Valley left in 1990 — between 1,50,000 and 1,60,000. On the other hand, a 2010 report by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre of Norwegian Refugee Council suggested that over 2,50,000 Pandits have been displaced since 1990. After about 30 years of being shown the door from our own homeland, our story remains untold. Why?
I chose to use the beautiful picture of a Shikara on the famous Dal Lake instead of a heart wrenching picture of a mother crying over the raped body of a 10 year old girl. I chose to use words that didn’t hurt the sentiment of any minority or majority because in times like today, numbers speak louder than words. I chose to do it today, as we all have enough time on our hands to sit and ponder over what happened and what should happen.
Kashmiri Pandits might or might never go back to their homes again.. But, we need a dignified closure. We need recognition of our wounds and it’s only then ( if at all) our pain might help.
Please sign the petition and share as much as possible to educate generations to come. Our story should not be left untold.