Roots in Kashmir Round Table 2

Roots in Kashmir, held its 2nd Round Table Conference on 20th June, at Delhi and as most of the leading KP organisations participated including JKVM and AIKS, who did not participate last year. Panun Kashmir, which was represented by Dr. Agnishekar and Dr. Ajay Chrungoo last year, chose to stay away from this year’s conference.

The agenda was to discuss the critical prerequisites for a viable and sustainable rehabilitation of Kashmiri Hindus in the valley. The conclusions of the 1st RT were a key reference point and all were reviewed. There was a broad agreement among all the participants on those conclusions except for minor change of words. An additional point added to the four specific points made last year, was pertaining to the unjust conditions imposed on the KPs hired by the government as part of the PM's Employment Package. It was also decided to make RT a regular forum, and create an RT Committee to achieve better coordination among the RT participants.

The key participants in the 2nd RT were as follows: Col. Tej K Tickoo - Vice President, AIKS, Shri Sanjay Ganjoo – President, JKVM, Shri Vijay Raina - President, Kashmiri Samiti Delhi, Shri King C Bharati – National Spokesperson, APMCC, Shri Ashutosh Taploo - Convenor, Tikalal Taploo Foundation, Shri Kundan Kashmiri - President, KPC, Shri SK Bhat - President, JKVSS, Shri Sunil Shakdhar  - Chairman, SK Foundation; Dr. Shashi Shekhar Toshkhani, Capt. SK Tickoo, Shri Ashoke Pandit, Dr. Romesh Raina, Ashish Zutshi, Member Roots in Kashmir and Sh. Pawan Durrani.

The five points that the 2nd RT concluded on are as follows:

1. Accession of Kashmir is non-negotiable - It was resolved that accession of Jammu and Kashmir to India is final and irrevocable

2. Acceptance of the problem as religious cleansing and genocide - It was resolved that the issue of return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri Hindus to Kashmir valley cannot be addressed without recognizing the fact that they were subjected to religious cleansing  and genocide which eventually lead to their displacement. Addressing the issue of return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri Hindus in any other concocted context only compounds the problem and is tantamount to denial of genocide.

3. Forming a Tribunal of Justice - It was resolved that the government of India should recognize the problem of uprootment of Kashmiri Hindus as genocide and invoke the covenants of prevention of genocide. It was further resolved the government of India should create a tribunal on the pattern of Nuremberg trials to bring the perpetrators of genocide of Kashmiri Hindus to justice.

4. One Territory – One Single self governed/autonomous territory, exclusively for Kashmiri Pandits without article 370. A sustainable and permanent return of Kashmiri Pandits will be possible only in such a dispensation. And also removal of article 370 from the entire state of Jammu & Kashmir.

5. Rejecting PM Package Conditions – Rejecting humiliating and oppressive employment conditions imposed on the KP-employees of the Government of J&K, hired under the PMs Employment Package. The conditions should be immediately revoked.

It was also agreed to make RT a regular forum and create a coordination committee to for better coordination and to work on the immediate, short term and long term objectives of the community.