Panun Kashmir submits memorandum to Prime Minister seeking recognition of 1990 exodus as genocide and statutory homeland
According to details received by The Chenab Times, the Kashmiri Pandit organisation Panun Kashmir has submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister of India reiterating its long-standing demand for the creation of a separate homeland for the community within the Kashmir Valley, along with statutory recognition of the 1989–90 migration and targeted killings as genocide.
The memorandum was presented by Panun Kashmir General Secretary Kuldeep Raina. It describes the forced displacement of Kashmiri Pandits from the Kashmir Valley more than 35 years ago as one of the gravest crimes in independent India, resulting from targeted killings, intimidation, religious cleansing, and mass terror, followed by prolonged denial and policy inaction.
The organisation asserts that existing administrative relief measures, rehabilitation packages, employment opportunities, housing, and service-related benefits cannot substitute for what it terms the two foundational acts of justice: formal legal recognition of the Kashmiri Pandit genocide and the establishment of a separate homeland under Indian protection in the Valley. The memorandum states that until these demands are met, such interim measures remain state obligations towards the community.
Panun Kashmir has also called for the enactment of a Genocide Bill it proposed in 2020, arguing that the absence of a specific legal framework has diluted the events into terms such as ‘disturbance’ or ‘migration’, thereby denying victims legal recognition, accountability, reparations, and guarantees against recurrence. The demand for a separate homeland is presented as essential for ensuring the security, dignity, and cultural survival of the community in a post-exodus context.
The submission comes amid an ongoing public debate in Jammu and Kashmir over demands for separate statehood for the Jammu region, which has been rejected by the Omar Abdullah-led government as unviable. Panun Kashmir’s renewed call revives a demand that has been raised periodically since the early 1990s, when the community was displaced from homes in the Kashmir Valley districts.
Kuldeep Raina described the memorandum as a call for justice that can no longer be deferred. He stated that the community has endured enforced exile for over 35 years while maintaining faith in the Republic of India, and that recognition of genocide and establishment of a separate homeland represent a moral and constitutional test for the Indian State.
The development occurs in the context of continued efforts by the central and Union Territory governments to facilitate the return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits, including through housing colonies and employment quotas, though large-scale return has remained limited due to security concerns and other factors. No immediate response from the Prime Minister’s Office or the Union Territory administration to the latest memorandum has been reported as of January 12, 2026.
The Kashmir Valley, comprising districts such as Srinagar, Anantnag, Baramulla, and others, is home to diverse communities, while the Jammu division, including the Chenab Valley and Pir Panjal regions, has its own demographic and political dynamics. The demand for a separate homeland for Kashmiri Pandits has historically been viewed as a sensitive issue linked to broader questions of identity, security, and territorial integrity in Jammu and Kashmir.
(Inputs from reports)
The Chenab Times News Desk