Threat letters to Pandits puncture India’s ‘normalcy’ claims in IIOJK
Srinagar: A group representing Kashmiri Pandit employees who returned to the Valley under a Modi government job scheme has written to Indian Home Minister Amit Shah, flagging renewed threats and an “atmosphere of uncertainty”, in a fresh blow to New Delhi’s claims of normalcy in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the All PM Package Employees Forum, in its letter to Shah, said the “social rehabilitation and acceptance” of Pandits has not progressed as hoped. The letter highlights a recent “increase in threatening letters and intimidation” and expresses fears of another “exodus similar to 1990”.
About 6,000 Pandits, mostly trained by RSS, were given jobs in Kashmir under the package.
Forum president Sunny Raina said many Pandit families remain deeply concerned about their safety and the future of their children.
“There is also a perception among many of us that the process of our complete social rehabilitation and acceptance has not progressed as we had hoped. We are trying to rebuild our lives here, but the atmosphere of uncertainty makes this process extremely difficult,” the letter stated.
The letter noted that for 16 years Pandits have made efforts to resettle and “become part of the social fabric of the Valley once again”. However, it added that “since 2021, the Kashmiri Hindu community is in a deep sense of fear.”
It drew a direct parallel to 1990, stating: “Threatening letters and notices were among the early warning signs that created fear among Kashmiri Hindu families and contributed to the atmosphere that ultimately resulted in their mass displacement. Every such incident revives the painful memories of the 1990s and raises a genuine concern that Kashmiri Hindus may once again be forced into displacement from their homeland.”
The forum also flagged that some threat letters carried names of Pandits and even vehicle registration numbers, raising questions about how such information was being leaked. It sought enhanced security for returned Pandits.
Since India’s changes of 2019, attacks on people, associated with RSS ideology, from outside Kashmir, including Pandits, have resumed.
The letter asserted that while the situation “may appear normal on the surface”, at the grassroots level “a sense of uneasiness and tension continues to exist”.
Political experts say the letter from the employees exposes the hollowness of India’s narrative of peace and return in IIOJK. Despite heavy military presence and official claims of normalcy, fear continue to prevail in the territory. For Kashmiris, the resurfacing of threat letters is a reminder that unresolved political issues cannot be masked by staged normalcy or rehabilitation packages.
