Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha Saturday said that a moment of “transformation” is here for the Kashmiri Pandit community and the homecoming of “those uprooted from their homeland,” is the truest victory.
Sinha was speaking at the Global Kashmiri Pandit Conclave in Srinagar and he called upon the distinguished members of Kashmiri Pandit community to set up industries, academic and cultural institutions in Jammu Kashmir that will become the immortal story of their heritage and provide opportunities to generations to come.
“Lives marked by pain and struggle gave the Kashmiri Pandit community only two choices- despair or rebuilding. They chose creation, rebuilding and selfless service and in doing so, the community made history. Carrying the weight of massacre, they never turned away from their purpose,” Sinha said.
Members of the community from India and abroad arrived in Srinagar to celebrate their journey of “resilience, renaissance and return”.
Terming this a landmark event, Sinha said: “The moment of transformation is here. Those once uprooted from their homeland return and this homecoming is the truest victory. The presence of business leaders, corporate heads, technology entrepreneurs, and cultural icons sends a powerful message of confidence in the peace of Jammu Kashmir, and trust in the administrative stability under Prime Minister Modi”.
He added that the journey of Kashmiri Pandit Community has been “scarred by genocide, exile and struggle,” however, the community chose a different path. “They refused to be defined by wounds and struggle. Instead, they transformed that pain into strength,” the LG said.
Sinha noted that despite the “unimaginable brutality” faced by the community during the 1990s, “Hardship never broke the spirit of the Kashmiri Pandit community. Suffering did not silence their ambition. Instead, they shaped their own destiny by building industries, founding institutions, driving innovation, and earning respect across the world.”
