In order to mobilise support for a separate homeland in the Jammu & Kashmir, an organisation of displaced Kashmiri Pandits -- Panun Kashmir -- visited Gujarat and interacted with displaced families living in Gujarat. "We have been in Gujarat for the past three days. We met families of displaced Kashmiri Pandits living here. We also met city Mayor Gautam Shah and discussed the present sociopolitical situation prevailing in Kashmir," said Ashwani Kumar Chrungoo, President, Panun Kashmir while interacting with mediapersons here Saturday. Chrungoo said his organisation has been meeting BJP leaders in Delhi on a regular basis and had held a detailed meeting with Dr Jitendra Singh, Minister of State, Prime Ministers' Office, regarding the creation of a separate homeland for Kashmiri Pandits which could be in form of a Union Territory, north and east of the river Jhelum which would include areas like Pehalgam. "We are here to mobilise support. We are looking only at states like Gujarat, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi to garner support," he said refusing to elaborate on why only four states have been chosen for the mobilisation. "We are also here to tell our side of the story. With the recent stone-throwing incidents in Kashmir, people are getting to know only one-sided stories. In the coming days we plan to aggressively reach out to other parts of the country," Chrungoo said during a press conference that was held at an IT-firm's office that is managed by a Kashmiri Pandit. According to him, the coinage of the word "Kashmiriat" was a facade and deliberate attempt to hoodwink people. "The people of Jammu, Ladakh and the Kashmiri Pandits have nothing to do with Kashmiriat. We owe our allegiance Indian culture and Constitution. Nationalistic forces in Kashmir needs to strengthened," he added. Office bearers of Panun Kashmir also stated recent incidents of "stone-pelting" was not new and could be traced back to 1931 when it was used against Kashmiri Pandits. "Thereafter, stones were pelted against political rivals, against Shias and now it is being used to as a cover for terrorists," Chrungoo added.
