Panun Kashmir Announces Sept 5 Hunger Strike, Rally for Homeland and Justice

Jammu, Jul 26 : Days after staging a protest in Delhi and submitting a memorandum to the Prime Minister’s Office, Panun Kashmir on Saturday announced the next phase of its campaign, including a hunger strike on September 5 and a mass demonstration in Jammu on September 14 to press for justice and a separate homeland in the valley. Panun Kashmir Chairman Tito Ganju said the organisation has initiated the process of reaching out to various Kashmiri Hindu organisations, community bodies and representative institutions seeking their support and participation in the forthcoming programmes. “We have decided to organise a one-day Nyaya Sankalpa (hunger strike) in Jammu on September 5, followed by a mass public demonstration on September 14 September (Balidan Diwas),” Ganju said after a meeting of senior activists here. Referring to the July 20 protest in Delhi and the submitting of a memorandum to the Prime Minister’s Office, he said while the organisation is hopeful of a favourable response from the government, democratic engagement cannot come to a halt until the aspirations of the displaced community receive meaningful constitutional attention. “The memorandum submitted to the Prime Minister’s Office reflects the collective aspirations of our community. We sincerely hope that the Government will respond with the seriousness the issue deserves. At the same time, our democratic responsibility is to continue reminding the nation that justice delayed for nearly four decades cannot become justice denied,” he said. Appealing for maximum participation, Ganju called upon all Kashmiri Hindu organisations, socio-cultural bodies, intellectuals, youth organisations, women’s groups, professionals, students, senior citizens, religious institutions, social activists, community leaders, diaspora organisations and every well-wisher of the cause to participate wholeheartedly in the forthcoming programmes. “This cannot remain the responsibility of one organisation alone. It is a collective responsibility of the entire community. We must rise above organisational affiliations, personal differences and individual preferences. The hunger strike and the public demonstration must become a united assertion of our collective will and our commitment to justice. I appeal to every Kashmiri Hindu and every organisation committed to our cause to stand with Panun Kashmir in these programmes,” he said. Panun Kashmir reiterated that its principal demands remain recognition of the genocide of Kashmiri Hindus, justice and accountability for the victims of forced displacement, enactment of the Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Bill, implementation of the 1990 Margdarshan Resolution, creation of a separate constitutionally protected homeland in the valley, constitutional and political safeguards for the community, and the principle of “Justice Before Statehood”.