Jammu, Feb 19 (KNO): Asserting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi led government is committed to ensure return of Kashmiri Pandits with full dignity and security, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Thursday said that Jammu and Kashmir will soon be completely free from the scourge of terrorism.
Addressing a function after releasing the book “Kashmir–Nativity Regained” authored by Professor Ashok Kaul here, LG Sinha, according to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) said, “Sustained efforts of the government and the security forces over the past few years have dismantled the sinister designs of adversaries to derail peace and progress in the Union Territory.”
Referring to the Prof Kaul’s book LG Sinha said that it explores the Kashmiri Pandit exodus and captures the terror of those dark days and the lasting devastation of being wrenched from ancestral roots.
The Lieutenant Governor said that “Kashmir–Nativity Regained” is not just a literary endeavour but laudable effort to shatter the silence that has shrouded our collective consciousness for decades.
“I salute the indomitable spirit of Kashmiri Pandit Community. Every displaced family carried within them a living ember of Kashmir. In the crucible of struggle and adversity, they preserved philosophy, spirituality, culture, language, and traditions. Even in agony, they unearthed possibilities and scaled new pinnacles of success,” the Lieutenant Governor said.
The Lieutenant Governor highlighted that in 2021, Kashmiri Migrant web portal was launched to recover house and lands of Kashmiri Pandit community, which were encroached upon by others.
“I firmly believe that among the world's gravest sorrows is the agony of becoming a stranger on one's own soil. This is precisely what had transpired in Jammu & Kashmir.
The anguish of the 1989-90 massacre of Kashmiri Pandits by terrorists runs so profoundly deep that even the balm of time has failed to soothe it. The torment of abandoning homes overnight, of being uprooted from one's roots, lingers like thorns in the veins of displaced families even today,” the Lieutenant Governor said.
He said that terror ecosystem in J&K tried to bury the truth but we can never forget and never forgive those terrorists and their support networks who sowed terror and struck at the souls of generations.
“The younger generation must never forget that Pakistan-backed terrorists have also spilled the blood of thousands of innocent Kashmiri Muslims. Many cases are so heartrending that words falter in their retelling. Justice has begun flowing to those families since last year, with efforts underway to fulfil their employment needs alongside other essentials,” he said.
The Lieutenant Governor stated that in August 2019 when PM Modi abolished Article 370 and fully integrated J&K, that day instilled the faith that the young generation of Kashmiri Pandit Community could reclaim those roots without fear.
“Prof Kaul's book serves as a poignant reminder of Kashmiri Pandit Community's resilience. This is an era of reconstruction. Through his words, Prof Kaul proclaims to the world that the Kashmiri Pandit community is at the very heart of J&K's narrative,” the Lieutenant Governor further said.
Prof. Umesh Rai, Vice Chancellor, University of Jammu; Rajiv Jha, Publisher, Readers Press; Prof. Neelu Rohmetra; Dean Research Studies; Dr Neeraj Sharma, Registrar, Jammu University; eminent literary personalities, people from different walks of life and students attended the book release ceremony.
Ramesh Kumar, Divisional Commissioner Jammu; Bhim Sen Tuti, IGP Jammu; Dr Rakesh Minhas, Deputy Commissioner Jammu and other senior officials were also present on the occasion—(KNO)