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JAMMU: National Conference president Farooq Abdullah’s skepticism about whether displaced Kashmiri Pandits would wish to return to the Valley is not an expression of concern—it is an attempt to normalize a historic crime. It reflects personal convenience, not empathy, and seeks to dilute political responsibility for a tragedy in which his party and his government played a decisive role. This was stated by Girdhari Lal Raina former MLC and spokesperson of BJP JK-UT.
Farooq Abdullah will stand in history as a modern-day Sikandar Butshikan for presiding over an era in which an ancient, indigenous minority was systematically targeted, terrorized, and driven out of its homeland, GL Raina stressed. As Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir state, he abandoned the Kashmiri Hindu community precisely when the first flames of ethnic cleansing were lit, reminded Raina.
The historical record is unambiguous. Targeted killings of Kashmiri Pandits began under his tenure:
Ashok Kumar Ganjoo (25), stabbed to death on 10 November 1987
Pandit Keshav Nath, killed on 9 December 1988 at Vichar Nag Temple
Smt. Prabhawati of Chadoora, murdered on 14 March 1989
Dina Nath Raina, killed on 15 August 1989
Tika Lal Taploo, a prominent lawyer and public figure, assassinated on 13 September 1989
Sheela Tickoo and Justice Neelkanth Ganjoo, brutally murdered on 1 November 1989
Emphasizing that Farooq Abdullah therefore has no moral authority to speculate on the wishes of a community he failed to protect, Ex MLC opined that His skepticism is not neutrality—it is a calculated attempt to absolve himself and the National Conference of historic guilt.
As Chief Minister, he presided over the early phase of an organised campaign of terror against the indigenous Kashmiri Hindu population, he added. While minorities were being hunted, his government chose appeasement over constitutional duty. GL Raina asserted that the release of 70 ISI-trained terrorists during his tenure emboldened the very forces that enforced the mass displacement of Kashmiri Pandits. This was not mere negligence; it was abdication.
When decisive leadership was required, Farooq Abdullah fled. He resigned as soon as Jagmohan—a Governor known for firmness—was appointed, and from the safety of England, participated in propaganda efforts to deflect blame, malign institutions, and distort history. Cowardice was followed by deception, GL Raina recalled.
Former MLC said that to now claim that Kashmiri Pandits are “welcome” is an insult to their suffering. Their resettlement outside Kashmir was not a voluntary choice—it was forced at gunpoint, under threats of annihilation. The loss of homeland, temples, homes, and centuries-old civilizational roots cannot be erased by hollow assurances.
Farooq Abdullah will be remembered as a modern-day Sikandar Butshikan—a ruler under whose watch a civilization was attacked, though not destroyed, he added. The Kashmiri Pandit community survived betrayal, terror, and exile, and it will outlast the politics of denial practiced by the Abdullah dynasty, he added further.
GL Raina declared that Kashmiri Pandits will return to Kashmir—not because the National Conference permits it, but because history, justice, and truth demand it.
