On 18th June IEKF in association with the Hindu Council UK, organised a well attended conference at the Brent Indian Association ,Wembley in London, to welcome Shri Moti Kaul, Vice President-BJP Jammu &Kashmir as the chief guest of the conference. The prominent and distinguished participants of the conference were Bob Blackman MP, Virendra Sharma MP, Councillors, Human Rights Lawyers, members of Kashmiri Pandit/Hindu community and members of various other key Hindu Organizations. While welcoming Moti Kaul and the audience , Krishna Bhan, President IEKF, gave appreciation and thanks to Moti Kaul for taking time to address the audience regarding the issues and concerns of displaced Kashmiri Pandits/Hindus. Shri Chuni Chavda , the IEKF Executive Member, gave a detailed introduction of Shri Moti Kaul to the audience and highlighted his tireless hard work for his community .Shri Sanjay Jagatia, General Secretary HCUK/Executive Member IEKF, appraised the meeting about the work that IEKF has done and continues to do. He made reference to MP, David Ward’s adjournment debate for the Jammu and Kashmir Self Determination Movement in Europe in Parliament 18 months ago. Further, he said that the IEKF had prepared a Briefing document that was sent to all British MPs to give the viewpoint of the Kashmiri Pandit/Hindu Community. He gave an update on the forthcoming UK delegation’s visit to Delhi and Jammu & Kashmir in September, 2016.
Shri Moti Kaul in his address gave the audience a detailed expose of the community’s tragic and traumatic 26 years in exile. He stated it was complete ethnic cleansing and the destruction of 5000 years of history. Successive Governments and Administrative Set –ups have played havoc with the lives of this miniscule ethnic minority. Overnight, Pandits were made homeless and refugees in our own country. Our homes, properties, lands, businesses and possessions were destroyed and illegally grabbed. Even the Temples and Shrines and the associated properties were not spared. This unprecedented and tragic exodus having happened in an Independent India was shameful. Moti Kaul made it emphatically clear that as part of the BJP Manifesto, and action on the ground, BJP is committed to a dignified and permanent resettlement of Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley, as per their collective aspirations. The Community is grateful to BJP and in particular to Shri Narendra Modi and his leadership for taking up our issues and concerns. No one has the right and no one can dictate to the Pandits, the original inhabitants of Kashmir and State Subjects, as to where , when and how they would like to get resettled in the Valley. In his concluding address Mr Kaul conveyed his gratitude to IEKF for organising this conference with the representatives from various socio-cultural organizations.
Mr Bob Blackman, MP, explained that India always loses the propaganda battle whereas Pakistan wins it, and gets worldwide sympathy and support, even though it supports terrorist organizations. He said that there is a need to engage in a long term programme with British MPs about the truth and justice for Kashmiri Pandits/Hindus. The illegally occupied areas of Jammu and Kashmir by Pakistan should be returned to India. Mr.Blackman gave a detailed account of his visits to India and to the State of Jammu and Kashmir in the recent months and his interaction with the Government Officials and the local people. He also mentioned that a Jammu and Kashmir Festival is being planned for this Autumn in the UK.
Mr.Virendra Sharma MP pledged his full support to the displaced Kashmiri Pandit/Hindu community and to their dream of resettlement back to their homeland. He sated he is happy to work in collaboration with Mr. Bob Blackman MP to support the Kashmiri Pandits/Hindus. Mr.Sharma also offered to work closely with our organizations to address the concerns and issues of the displaced community.
The conference was followed by an interactive questions and answers session .The questions included :-• Article 370 and its impact on the resettlement of the Kashmiri Hindus • The status of Internally Displaced Persons for the displaced community • Establishment of smart townships for displaced Kashmiri Pandits The money allocated from the Government of India for the displaced community doesn’t go to the grass root organizations but it ends up from one government to another. These questions generated very interesting and lively discussions for an hour. The conference was closed after the refreshments and the individual discussions with Shri Moti Kaul.
Mr.Satya Minhas ,the Co- Chair of HCUK ,thanked Shri Moti Kaul ,Mr.Blackman MP,Mr.Sharma MP and the distinguished guests for their contribution and attendance. Mr.Minhas also thanked Krishna Bhan for organizing the event.
Editors Notes Indo-European Kashmir Forum is the voice of the displaced Kashmiri Hindus in India and in the Kashmir Valley. The Organization was founded in the late eighties with the support of the wider Indian communities. The Forum highlights the plight of Kashmiri Hindus who have become victims of terrorism. It also investigates violations of human rights of Kashmiri Hindus at the hands of terrorist organizations.
Hindu Council UK is one of the largest umbrella organisation representing the Hindu community in the UK. It was founded in 1994 for all Hindus domiciled in the United Kingdom, combining all the Hindu faith denominations, whilst representing various Hindu communities and Hindus from different parts of the world settled in the United Kingdom. Its main purpose was to give the UK Hindus an effective voice on policy matters with the Government and Political Parties, whilst enhancing mutual understanding among the major faiths predominant in the UK. Hindu Council UK is itself a non-partisan faith organisation.
