Kashmir Impulse Desk

Srinagar, June 13

The return of displaced Kashmiri Pandits to Kashmir represents the “truest victory” and reflects the emergence of a new Jammu and Kashmir after 2019, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said on Saturday.

Addressing the Global Kashmiri Pandit Conclave in Srinagar, LG Sinha said the community’s return to its homeland symbolised resilience after decades of displacement following the insurgency in the region during the 1990s.

“The homecoming of those once uprooted from their homeland is the truest victory,” he said, adding that the presence of business leaders, entrepreneurs and cultural figures at the event reflected confidence in the region’s peace and administrative stability.

Thousands of Kashmiri Pandits Kashmir in the early 1990s amid rising militancy, with many settling elsewhere in India.

LG Sinha said the community had transformed adversity into achievement, contributing significantly to sectors including technology, finance, medicine, education and public service.

He urged members of the Kashmiri Pandit diaspora to establish industries, educational institutions and cultural centres in Jammu and Kashmir to help drive economic growth and preserve their heritage.

The LG said discussions at the conclave on investment, institution-building and cultural revival would help shape pathways for community restoration and economic empowerment.

He credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government with transforming Jammu and Kashmir into a centre of reconstruction and development, saying the community’s return aligned with the government’s vision for the region.

The conclave was attended by members of the Kashmiri Pandit community from India and abroad, along with government officials and civil society representatives.