Press Releases

July 4th, 2012
Boston, Massachusetts
Source: Indo-American Kashmir Forum (IAKF)
For Immediate Release:

IAKF condemns Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s Xenophobic statements

The Indo-American Kashmir Forum (IAKF, www.iakf.org) strongly condemns Hurriyat (Geelani) leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s statements wherein he has shown his true colors as a xenophobic demagogue by setting conditions for Kashmiri Hindus’ return to their homeland Kashmir. In a recent statement made in the Kashmir valley, Syed Ali Shah Geelani has categorically opposed any plans to address security concerns of Kashmiri Pandits who wish to return to their homeland. Geelani’s contention that Kashmiri Hindus should not be provided safe zones exposes his secessionist and communal agenda that he has been promoting in the valley.

IAKF wishes to remind the world that Kashmiri Pandits are the only ones who will decide when, how and under what circumstances they will return to our homeland. They will not permit Pro-Pakistani surrogates like Syed Ali Shah Geelani to decide their fate or set conditions for their return to the homeland. The return of Kashmiri Pandits to the motherland is not possible without creating political and economic space for them, which has been long ignored by both the majority community in the valley as well as by the local state government of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).

IAKF condemns the J&K state government for failing to treat Kashmiri Pandits as equal state subjects with same degree of liberty, freedom and empowerment that is enjoyed by Kashmiri Muslims in the valley.

IAKF, furthermore, believes that misguided policies of the J&K and Central governments in Kashmir have led to deepening sectarian divide among Muslims and non-Muslims, and among various sects of Muslims in the valley. We call upon the State Government to implement recommendations of the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) to grant a minority status to Kashmiri Pandits in J&K, to pass the legislative bill for management and regulation of Pandit Shrines in the State assembly as promised by the government in 2008, and to induct Kashmiri Pandits in the State Cabinet of Ministers as had been a historical precedent in the past. Indeed, a lack of political and economic space for Kashmiri Pandits in the valley is not only inhibiting Pandits from returning to their homeland, it is also pushing remaining Pandits in Kashmir to leave the valley.

IAKF reiterates that no final solution of the Kashmir issue is possible without the inclusion of a key constituent like Kashmiri Pandits. This position is endorsed by the U.S. government, and we will continue to keep the U.S. Administration and the U.S. Congress apprised of the situation in Kashmir and especially the condition of valley based Pandits and those displaced by the violence and mayhem in Kashmir.

IAKF Board of Directors
Contact:
Lalit Koul
President
Indo-American Kashmir Forum (IAKF)
lalit@iakf.org

IAKF was established in 1991 to inform the world community of the oppression against Kashmiri Pandits that led to their forced exile from Kashmir due to the influx of fundamentalist Islamic terrorism. IAKF wishes to raise awareness of the human rights violations suffered by the Pandit community, many of whom are still living in makeshift ‘refugee’ camps in Jammu, India. The organization seeks the return of Kashmiri Pandits to the Kashmir valley with guaranteed security and freedom to exercise their religious faith and cultural way of life without fear or intrusion. IAKF provides reports to the U.S. Administration, U.S. Congress, and several of Washington D.C.’s policy think tanks. For more information, please visit www.iakf.org.