| News Details |
| Panun Kashmir Stages Protest in Delhi, Confronts National Conference | | Reiterates "Justice Before Statehood" | 
New Delhi, July 20 (Scoop News)-Activists of Panun Kashmir today staged a protest in the national capital, asserting that justice for the displaced Kashmiri Hindu community must precede any move towards the restoration of statehood in Jammu and Kashmir. During the protest, Panun Kashmir activists confronted leaders and supporters of the National Conference near Ashoka Road, raising slogans and maintaining that political demands for statehood cannot supersede the unresolved issues arising from the genocide and exodus of Kashmiri Hindus.
The protest was led by Panun Kashmir Chairman Tito Ganju and Convener Dr. Agnishekhar, who later headed a delegation that submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister's Office highlighting the organisation's long-standing demands.
Addressing the gathering, Tito Ganju launched a strong attack on the National Conference's campaign for the restoration of statehood. He said it was both morally indefensible and constitutionally unacceptable to seek the restoration of political privileges while the victims of genocide and forced displacement continue to await justice after nearly four decades.
Ganju stated that "Those who remained silent when Kashmiri Hindus were driven out of their homeland, and those who have never accepted responsibility for that historic tragedy, have no moral authority to speak of restoring political structures before ensuring justice for the victims. Justice cannot be made subordinate to power."
He asserted that Panun Kashmir was not seeking charity or concessions but demanding the constitutional rights of a community that had suffered one of the gravest civilizational tragedies of the twentieth century. He reiterated that the organisation's core demands include recognition of the genocide of Kashmiri Hindus, acknowledgement of the forced exodus, accountability for the perpetrators, and the creation of a constitutionally protected Homeland in Kashmir where the community can live with security, dignity and equal citizenship.
Ganju further said that statehood cannot become a mechanism to erase historical crimes or to normalise the consequences of genocide. "Before discussing who will govern Jammu and Kashmir, the nation must first answer a more fundamental question: when will justice be delivered to those who lost their homes, their temples, their civilizational heritage and their right to live in their own land?" he asked.
He concluded by saying that "Justice Before Statehood" is not merely a slogan but a constitutional principle, and that Panun Kashmir would continue to pursue its demands peacefully, democratically and constitutionally until justice is secured.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Agnishekhar said that the debate on Jammu and Kashmir cannot be confined merely to questions of governance or administrative arrangements while the most fundamental issue of justice remains unresolved. He stated that the genocide and forced exodus of Kashmiri Hindus constitute an open constitutional wound that cannot be wished away through political narratives or electoral demands. "A society that seeks to move forward without confronting its gravest injustices builds its future on denial," he remarked.
Dr. Agnishekhar asserted that Panun Kashmir's demand for a separate Homeland is neither a temporary political slogan nor a reaction to contemporary events, but the outcome of decades of reflection and the collective experience of a community that lost its homeland, civilizational institutions and political agency. He said that the Margdarshan Resolution of 1991 continues to provide the only viable constitutional framework for ensuring the secure and dignified return of Kashmiri Hindus to Kashmir with full constitutional guarantees.
Referring to the National Conference's demand for statehood, Dr. Agnishekhar said that statehood cannot become a substitute for justice. According to him, any meaningful political process must begin by acknowledging the genocide, fixing institutional responsibility for the failure to protect the indigenous Hindu community, ensuring justice for the victims, and creating constitutional safeguards against any recurrence. He maintained that peace without justice is merely an illusion and reconciliation without accountability cannot produce lasting stability.
He appealed to the Government of India to treat the Kashmiri Hindu issue as a national civilizational question rather than merely a humanitarian or relief issue and reiterated that Panun Kashmir would continue to pursue its constitutional demands peacefully and democratically until justice is secured for the displaced community.
The protest received active support from Youth 4 Panun Kashmir (Y4PK). President Vithal Chowdhary said that the younger generation of Kashmiri Hindus would continue to stand firmly behind the demand for justice and a constitutionally protected Homeland, adding that the aspirations of the community extend far beyond relief and rehabilitation.
Y4PK General Secretary Digamber Raina said that the youth would continue to organise democratically until the concerns of displaced Kashmiri Hindus receive meaningful constitutional and political recognition.
The protest was also supported by Kundan Kashmiri, President of the Kashmiri Pandit Conference (KPC), who said that the concerns of the displaced community deserve priority in the national discourse before any political restructuring in Jammu and Kashmir is contemplated.
Shivji Bhat also expressed solidarity with the protest and called upon all sections of the community to remain united in pursuing justice and the legitimate constitutional aspirations of Kashmiri Hindus.
The All India Kashmiri Samaj (AIKS) extended its support to the protest, while Youth Society of Shitalnath (YSS), Delhi, also participated and expressed solidarity with the demands raised by Panun Kashmir.
The protest was further joined by Bhushan Lal Bhat and Bituji Bhat of the Panun Kashmir Jagti Unit, who participated along with a large number of supporters. Bhushan Lal Bhat said that the displaced community has waited with extraordinary patience for decades and that the Government must now address its core political and constitutional demands instead of treating the issue merely as one of relief and rehabilitation. Bituji Bhat said that the broad participation in the protest reflected the growing unity and determination within the community to pursue justice through peaceful democratic means.
The protesters raised slogans demanding recognition of the genocide of Kashmiri Hindus, justice for the victims of forced displacement, a constitutionally protected Homeland in Kashmir, dignified and secure return, constitutional safeguards, accountability for the perpetrators, and "Justice Before Statehood."
A delegation of Panun Kashmir subsequently submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister's Office incorporating these demands.
The demonstration concluded peacefully with the leadership reaffirming that the struggle for justice, constitutional safeguards and the establishment of a Homeland for Kashmiri Hindus would continue through peaceful, democratic and constitutional means.
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