Srinagar, Sep 14 (KNS): A US-based Kashmiri Pandit organisation has urged the global community to observe September 14 as 'Kashmiri Pandit Balidan Devas', demanding justice, security and the right of return for the displaced community, while honouring those killed in targeted violence in Kashmir.
Kashmir Solidarity USA (KSUSA), in a statement issued here, said the date holds particular significance as the anniversary of the assassination of Pandit Tika Lal Taploo, a prominent Kashmiri Pandit leader and lawyer, who was killed in Srinagar on September 14, 1989 — one of the early defining events in the period of violence and intimidation that preceded the mass displacement of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley.
Surinder Zutshi, Founder and Chairman of KSUSA, said, "Balidan Devas is a day to remember those who sacrificed their lives and to ensure that their memory is never erased. More than three decades after the displacement of Kashmiri Pandits, the community continues to seek justice, security, dignity and the right to return to its ancestral homeland.
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The organisation said remembrance must be accompanied by continued efforts to document the history of the victims, pursue justice in unresolved cases, protect Kashmiri Pandit temples and cultural heritage, and create conditions for the safe and dignified return of the displaced community.
It also urged younger generations of Kashmiri Pandits around the world to learn and preserve the history, language, traditions and civilisational heritage of their ancestors.
Clarifying its position, KSUSA said Balidan Devas is not a call for hatred against any religion or community, but a solemn affirmation that terrorism, targeted killings and forced displacement must never be accepted or forgotten.
The organisation has called upon people of conscience everywhere to light a lamp, offer a prayer, remember the martyrs and stand for truth and justice on September 14. (KNS)
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