Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 8: The Kashmiri Pandit (KP) community has resolved to boycott the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, citing the continued denial of their genocide and displacement.
An announcement in this regard came during an important meeting held at the Invitation Banquet Hall in Jammu.
Addressing a packed gathering, prominent community leaders emphasized that participating in the electoral process would only serve to legitimize the denial of their historical suffering.
The meeting, conducted by Pyare Lal Raina, featured a series of impassioned speeches from key figures including Pyare Lal Kaul Budgami, Raj Nath Raina, Bhushan Lal Bhat, Tito Ganju and Dr Ajay Chrungoo.
Pyare Lal Kaul Budgami condemned the current electoral process as a “façade of democracy,” asserting that it fails to address the community’s call for recognition of their genocide.
“Until our suffering is officially acknowledged, we cannot support an election that perpetuates our erasure,” he stated. Click here to watch video
Raj Nath Raina highlighted the manipulation of the Kashmiri Pandit vote, arguing that the community’s electoral voice has been used to serve political agendas without addressing their core issues.
“Our votes are merely a tool for political leverage,” he said. “Engaging in these elections will only further silence our concerns.”
Bhushan Lal Bhat echoed these sentiments, describing the incompatibility of democracy and genocide.
“A system that ignores our ethnic cleansing cannot be a true democracy,” Bhat declared. “Participation would mean conceding that our suffering is irrelevant.”
Tito Ganju warned against using the community’s vote as a political tool, stressing that participating in the elections would only aid a system that continues to ignore their demands for justice.
“We must not lend credibility to a process that seeks to silence us,” he said.
Dr Ajay Chrungoo, Chairman of Panun Kashmir, delivered a stark warning about the broader implications of electoral participation under the current conditions.
“By holding elections without addressing our genocide, the system seeks to finalize our erasure,” Chrungoo said.
He urged the community to view the boycott not as a rejection of democracy, but as a demand for justice and recognition.
Chrungoo further underscored the existential stakes involved. “Participating in these elections without addressing our genocide would signify that we accept our marginalization as our new normal,” he warned.
“It would mean conceding that our identity, history, and suffering are inconsequential to the current political establishment.”
He also criticized the lack of tangible steps toward reconciliation, arguing that “elections conducted under these conditions serve only to perpetuate the status quo, rather than providing any real solutions to our plight.”
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