Prominent Kashmiri Pandit groups on Wednesday demanded carving out of a separate homeland for the community in the valley as they staged a demonstration in Delhi to commemorate the start of displacement of over 2.5 lakh people from Kashmir due to militancy 16 years ago.
The groups, which came under the banner of Panun Kashmir, also voiced their opposition to the Centre's decision to examine the possibility of grant of autonomy to Jammu and Kashmir.
"We want carving out of a separate homeland for our community in Kashmir valley that will be administered directly by the Centre till the time it can evolve its own economic and political infrastructure," Panun Kashmir vice president Shakti Bhan said addressing the demonstrators.
She argued that the return of pandits to Kashmir in the existing set-up was not feasible anymore because of "militarisation of Muslim separatist forces" there.
Criticising the decision of the Union Home Ministry to set up a committee to discuss autonomy for J&K, Bhan said this step would "further exclude the state from the constitutional organisation of India."
Kashmiri Samiti president Sunil Shakdher also demanded political reorganisation of the state and asserted that any settlement reached by the government with the separatist forces would not be acceptable to the community.
RSS
Feeds 
