Kashmiri Pandits Call on Muslim Clerics to Protest Civilian Killings by Militants Operating in J&K

© AP Photo / Dar YasinA paramilitary soldier stands outside a bunker near the site of a grenade explosion in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Saturday, Aug. 13, 2022.
A paramilitary soldier stands outside a bunker near the site of a grenade explosion in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Saturday, Aug. 13, 2022. - Sputnik International, 1920, 17.10.2022
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Kashmiri Hindus, also known as Pandits, have faced militant attacks since the inception of an anti-India insurgency, which led to their migration in the late 1980s. The Indian government has accused Pakistan of backing insurgents in the region, which is divided between the two neighbors and claimed in entirety by both.
A prominent Kashmiri Hindu organization on Monday appealed to Islamic clerics and the Muslim community in Jammu and Kashmir to condemn the recent killings of Pandits by militants operating in the region.
The appeal came two days after suspected militants gunned down Kashmiri Pandit community farmer Puran Krishan Bhat while he was on his way to an apple orchard in the Shopian district.
Bhat was the sixth Kashmiri Pandit to have been killed by militants since 2019, according to local police data, which states that overall, more than 120 civilians have been killed in similar attacks.

Sanjay Tickoo, the president of the Kashmiri Pandit Sangarsh Samiti, a non-governmental organization advocating for the rights of the community, shared “three demands” during an interview with Sputnik.

Making his first point, Tickoo demanded that all religious clerics make the youth of Kashmir aware of what “true Islam” is: "Whether it is a religion which says that killing an innocent is like killing the entire humanity or is it permissible to kill anyone in the name of Jihad?"
"...Secondly, the Kashmiri Pandit community, wherever they are in India or across the globe should leave politics behind and come out to protest. Thirdly the Muslim majority of Kashmir should hold protests in their own vicinities to condemn the killings,” Tickoo added.
The protests by the Pandit community, however, have persisted amid fears of future attacks.

“I am not asking the Muslim majority to take out marches to the center of the city. But they must hold peaceful demonstrations wherever they live to send a clear message against the killings of minorities," Tickoo, who is among the thousands of Pandits who continue to live in Kashmir, stated.

He also said that local women and children should also come out: “The children should come out and interact with our children to better understand our issues.”
A policeman stands guard at the residence of a politician Sheikh Wasim Bari, in Bandipora town, north of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Thursday, July 9, 2020. - Sputnik International, 1920, 05.10.2022
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Militant groups, prominently The Resistance Front (TRF), issued several statements after the 2019 revocation of Kashmir’s semi-autonomous status, threatening locals whom they suspected of working for the government.
For the latest killing, however, a lesser-known militant group named Kashmir Freedom Fighters has claimed responsibility, police said.
Speaking to reporters, ex-state chief and Member of Parliament Farooq Abdullah expressed skepticism about the killings coming to an end soon. “This will not stop. It won’t stop till justice is delivered,” he said, blaming the government once again for revoking Kashmir's temporary semi-autonomy.

Meanwhile, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), a conglomerate of separatist groupings, denounced the killing on Saturday. "Every single life in this manner is very painful and sad".

A few Kashmir Pandits on Monday held a protest outside the APHC office in Srinagar. A Kashmiri Hindu community member, requesting anonymity, said that the demonstrations will intensify if the killings do not stop.
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