Srinagar, Mar 9 (KNS): The displacement of Kashmiri Pandits was raised during the 61st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva through a written submission circulated by the Jammu and Kashmir Council for Human Rights, drawing attention to the community’s plight and its right to return to the Valley.
According to the document, the submission highlighted the displacement of the minority community from the Kashmir Valley during the early 1990s and emphasised the need for their return to their homes with dignity and security.
The document also referred to a community-led initiative proposed by Kashmiri Pandit leader Satish Mahaldar that seeks to facilitate the return of displaced families to different districts of Kashmir.
Under the proposal, around 419 displaced Kashmiri Pandit families could be rehabilitated across six districts of the Valley — Srinagar, Anantnag, Baramulla, Sopore, Budgam, Kupwara and Ganderbal.
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The submission said the initiative proposes the return of families to their original localities and seeks to promote reintegration into the traditional social fabric of Kashmir.
It also referred to the displacement of Kashmiri Pandits in the early 1990s, when many families left the Valley amid violence and unrest.
Community members and diaspora groups have welcomed the raising of the issue at the UN forum, saying it brings renewed attention to the concerns of displaced families.
They said the initiative focuses on dialogue, reconciliation and community participation while seeking the restoration of property and revival of cultural ties.
Observers said the reference to the issue at the UN Human Rights Council has drawn renewed international attention to the displacement and the ongoing discussion on the return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits.(KNS).