UK Parliament to commemorate 35th anniversary of Kashmiri Pandit exodus
The UK Parliament is set to discuss a motion commemorating the 35th anniversary of the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Kashmir Valley in 1990. The motion, titled “Commemoration of the 35th anniversary of the genocide of Kashmiri Pandit Hindus from Jammu and Kashmir in India”, was put on the official website for MPs to sign and join. It aims to raise awareness about the “coordinated attacks by cross-border Islamic terrorists and their supporters on the minority Hindu population of Kashmir Valley”.
The motion urges the UK Government to commemorate January 19 as ‘Kashmiri Pandit Exodus Day’ and calls on the Indian Government to enact the proposed ‘Panun Kashmir Genocide Crime Punishment and Atrocities Prevention Bill’ in the Indian Parliament. It also expresses condolences to British Hindu citizens, whose friends and family were killed, raped, injured and displaced in the exodus, and condemns the desecration of holy sites in Jammu and Kashmir.
The motion further vows to protect the rights of Hindus in the UK, including their right to demand justice. It highlights the concern that the Kashmiri Hindu minority that fled persecution has still not seen justice or recognition of the atrocities committed against them in 35 years.
Conservative UK MP Bob Blackman tabled the motion, which has been supported by other MPs. A similar motion was tabled in 2015 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the exodus.