Kashmir’s chief priest, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, called the return of Kashmiri Pandits to the Valley a humanitarian issue while also rejecting the idea of a separate homeland or exclusive settlement for the community. “As far as the minorities of J&K are concerned, their safety and welfare is our responsibility because we (Kashmiri Muslims) are a majority community,” the Mirwaiz said at a book launch event in Srinagar on Sunday. “Some people say they (Kashmiri Pandits) need separate land in south Kashmir. This is unacceptable, not only to the majority community, but I think also to our Kashmiri Pandits. We don’t want Kashmiri Pandits to live under lock and key. We want them to live together with us with dignity and we will work towards that,” he said. He was speaking at the release of a book titled, Interfaith Dialogue: Foundation of Peace Building, authored by Aga Muntazir Mehdi and Khairunisa Aga. The book documents the efforts made by the Anjuman Sharie Shian, a constituent of the Mirwaiz-led Hurriyat Conference, towards an initiative that it began in 2016 to bring people from the Kashmiri Muslim and Kashmiri Pandit communities together on one platform along with other Hindus and members of the Buddhist and Christian communities. At the event, the Mirwaiz said efforts to bring Pandits back to Kashmir needed to be pursued with seriousness. For this, there has to first be dialogue within the communities, he said. “In the majority community, we too have to start an intra-community dialogue on how this issue is to be resolved. All of us have to get together,” the Mirwaiz said. “Then the Kashmiri Pandit brothers too have to start an intra-community dialogue because you too have different groups.” Calling the need to “understand each other’s pain and suffering” essential to find a solution, the Mirwaiz said what happened to the Kashmiri Pandits in 1990 was unfortunate. At the same time, he also said it is essential that the minority communities in J&K raise their voice against injustices faced by the majority community. “If the Jamia Masjid of Jammu and Kashmir is shut and prayers are not allowed there, the Pandit, Sikh and Christian brothers will have to say that it is injustice and that it should be stopped. It is essential,” he said. He said J&K is facing an existential threat – “Our state was taken and turned into a UT. Our land, properties and everything is in danger” – and the minority communities must rase their voices against this. The Mirwaiz said the return of Pandits was not a political issue. “For me, it is a humantian issue. There is no vote bank politics for us. We want to stand with truth and justice,” he said.
