Kashmiri diaspora in US expresses concern over death threat to rights activist Sushil Pandit

Washington, March 1

Members of the Kashmiri diaspora in the US have expressed concern over the death threat to Sushil Pandit, a Kashmiri human rights activist in India, urging the Indian government to take a stern action against those responsible behind the plot to assassinate him.

Pandit is a human rights activist and the chief executive officer of Hive Communications India Private Limited. On Saturday, two men, who were allegedly hired to kill Pandit, were arrested in Delhi.

The Indo-American Kashmir Forum (IAKF), which seeks the return of Kashmiri Pandits to the Kashmir Valley with guaranteed security and freedom to exercise their religious faith and cultural way of life without fear or intrusion, said in a statement on Sunday that the failed attempt on Pandit had once again highlighted the risks to the community’s secure life and liberty.

“The plot to assassinate Sushil Pandit, which was foiled by Delhi Police, is condemnable,” it said.

“This targeted plot is a grim reminder of the havoc brought upon the entire aboriginal Kashmiri Hindu community, who have been driven from their homeland in the Kashmir Valley through repeated pogroms over the past few centuries, most recently beginning in 1990,” the group, whose board members are Vijay Sazawal, Rajiv Pandit, Lalit Koul, Raj Koul and Rahul Pandit, said.

The IAKF was established in 1991 to inform the world of the oppression against Kashmiri Pandits that led to their forced exile from Kashmir due to the influx of fundamentalist Islamic terrorism.

“While IAKF thanks Delhi Police for foiling this attempt, it also demands thorough and swift investigation of this plot, and expects Delhi Police and judiciary to expeditiously bring the masterminds of this plot to justice.

“IAKF also demands that the Ministry of Home Affairs in Delhi take this matter with utmost seriousness and immediately provide official security to Sushil Pandit, if not already undertaken,” it added. PTI

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