Kashmiri Pandits meet Rijiju, seek minority status, reopening of Sharda Peeth
All India Kashmiri Samaj (AIKS), led by its president Ravinder Pandita, met Union Minister Kiren Rijiju in New Delhi today.
According to a press release, during the meeting, AIKS presented a memorandum to the Minister of Minority Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs seeking the declaration of Kashmiri Pandits as a minority community and the establishment of a dedicated commission to address their concerns within the Jammu & Kashmir region.
Pandita discussed the current situation of Kashmiri Hindus, pointing out the irony that they are considered a minority in Jammu & Kashmir but a majority in the Union Territory as a whole.
“This issue also applies to a few other states,” said the minister. He listened attentively to the points raised by AIKS, including the urgent need for a Minorities Commission in J&K, the official declaration of Kashmiri Pandits as minorities, and referenced the Supreme Court’s 2018 direction in the petition filed by Ankur Sharma as well as the Justice Venkatachaliah NHRC report.
As per the release, Pandita emphasised that the demand has become more significant following the abrogation of Article 370 and the unification of Jammu & Kashmir. He highlighted the importance of these issues in the current political landscape.
Additionally, AIKS urged for the reopening of the Sharda Peeth in PoK (Pakistan-occupied Kashmir) on the lines of the Kartarpur Corridor, to promote religious and cultural exchange, the release noted.
The Minister, after hearing the delegation, suggested that a larger group meet the Home Minister to address these political issues. He assured AIKS that he would facilitate a meeting with the Home Ministry to discuss these matters further, said the release.
AIKS team members, including general secretary Sunil Koul, senior vice president Vijay Kashkari, noted debater and activist Amit Raina, and Shrawan Pandita, invited Kiren Rijiju to the International Mother Tongue Day festival to be organised in New Delhi on February 22. The team also presented him with the latest issue of Naad Magazine, the official mouthpiece of AIKS.
