European Kashmiri Pandits Pay Homage to Kashmiri Pandit Martyrs Day
- 14 September 2008
Indo-European Kashmir Forum and the Kashmiri Pandits in the UK paid homage to Kashmiri Hindu Martyrs on Sunday 14th September and observed it as the Balidan Divas.
Indo-European Kashmir Forum and the UK Kashmiri Pandits organized and attended a special Havan/Puja in the Midlands to pay homage to Kashmiri Hindu Martyrs on the occasion of Balidan Divas. Special prayers were offered for the brave and courageous Kashmiri Hindus who fought with dignity and pride and laid down their lives for their community.
At the end of the special prayers ,glowing tributes were paid to Kashmiri Hindus who lost their precious lives at the hands of Islamist terrorists .It was 19 years ago when some of our prominent Kashmiri Pandits such as Pandit Tika Lal Taploo and Pandit Maheshwar Nath Bhat fell to the bullets of assassins in Srinagar.The Kashmiri Hindus observe 14th September as Martyrs Day since they have been forced to live in exile from the Kashmir Valley and pay homage to all those martyrs who sacrificed their lives during the two decades of terrorist violence. Over 35 0,000 Kashmiri Hindus were made refugees in their own country and nearly after twenty years the plight of these KP citizens still remains unchanged.
Mr. Sunil Raina,a member of Panun Kashmir, attended the function and he stated that 14th September reminds us of our forced exile from the Valley and systematic killings and massacres of Kashmiri Hindus . He stressed the need to raise awareness of the genocide of Kashmiri Hindus ,distorting and destroying the history of Kashmiri Hindu Shrines and heritage .He further stated that all the three factions of Panun Kashmir are united for the Home Land demand and this demand represents the aspirations of the Kashmiri Hindus.
At the end of the function a two minute silence was observed as a mark of respect to the Martyrs.
