Panun Kashmir ( en, Our Kashmir) is a proposed union territory of India in the

Kashmir Valley The Kashmir Valley, also known as the ''Vale of Kashmir'', is an intermontane valley concentrated in the Kashmir Division of the Indian- union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The valley is bounded on the southwest by the Pir Panjal Range and ...

, which is intended to be a homeland for

Kashmiri Hindus Kashmiri Hindus are ethnic Kashmiris who practice Hinduism and are native to the Kashmir Valley of India. With respect to their contributions to Indian philosophy, Kashmiri Hindus developed the tradition of Kashmiri Shaivism. After their exodus ...

. The demand arose after the Exodus of Kashmiri Hindus in 1990. The vision of the homeland was elucidated in the Margdarshan Resolution of 1991. Panun Kashmir is also the name of an eponymously named organisation.

Origin and etymology

Panun Kashir is derived from

Kashmiri Kashmiri may refer to: * People or things related to the Kashmir Valley or the broader region of Kashmir * Kashmiris, an ethnic group native to the Kashmir Valley * Kashmiri language, their language People with the name * Kashmiri Saikia Barua ...

, which means "our own Kashmir". The Panun Kashmir organisation was founded by Kashmiris, including Kashmiri Hindu writer and activist Agnishekhar, in 1990 after the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus from

Kashmir Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...

, under threat from militants. Approximately 300,000 to 600,000 Kashmiri Hindus fled Kashmir due to rising armed rebellion in Kashmir. However, Panun Kashmir estimates nearly 700,000 refugees.

Proposed union territory of Panun Kashmir

The organisation passed a resolution, known as the Margdarshan Resolution, in Jammu in December 1991 demanding:

(a) the establishment of a Homeland for the Kashmiri Hindus in the Valley of Kashmir comprising the regions of the Valley to the East and North of Jhelum River. (b) that the Constitution of India be made applicable in letter and spirit in this Homeland in order to ensure right to life, liberty, freedom of expression and faith, equality and rule of law. (c) that the Homeland be placed under the Central administration with a Union Territory status; and (d) that all the seven hundred thousand Kashmiri Hindus, including those who have been driven out of Kashmir in the past and yearn to return to their homeland and those who were forced to leave on account of terrorist violence in Kashmir, be settled in the homeland on an equitable basis with dignity and honour.

Some advocates for Panun Kashmir wish that the majority of the valley of Kashmir and cities such as

Srinagar Srinagar (English: , ) is the largest city and the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It lies in the Kashmir Valley on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus, and Dal and Anchar lakes. The city is known for its natu ...

, Anantnag, Sopore, Baramulla and Awantipora be included in the proposed union territory. However, the organisation claims that it in fact does not seek a Hindu homeland. Rather, it seeks a homeland for Kashmiri Hindus who are ready to live peacefully with their Muslim neighbours assuming the conditions are met for resettlement.

Support

The Panun Kashmir organisation has consistently pushed for a separate UT. The organisation also strongly supported the abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35a. Ikkjutt Jammu, a political party in Jammu and Kashmir, openly advocates for a separate Panun Kashmir, as well as the separation of Jammu Division from Kashmir.

Opposition

On 28 November 2019, India's consul-general in New York proposed an " Israeli model" on Kashmir to help the Kashmiri Pandits return to their homeland. His hour-long video sparked outrage. Muslim Kashmiri activists and some Hindu Kashmiris feared that this will lead to worsening military control, losing their jobs to outsiders, and the loss of their identity by causing Hindus to replace the Muslim majority. This proposition has been compared to a "settler-colonial project", and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan condemned the proposal as reflecting "the fascist mindset of the Indian government". After the murder of Rakesh Pandit by unidentified militants in June 2021, several members of the Panun Kashmir group proposed a military campaign to establish a separate Hindu region, where Kashmiri Pandits would be armed against local militants. That meeting and their proposed Union Territory has been opposed by Muslim activists, who compared the proposal to Israeli actions against the Palestinians.

References

External links