Srinagar, Dec 03: The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association, on Tuesday hailed Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament Vivek Tankha for his historic initiative in championing the Kashmiri Pandits (Recourse, Restitution, Rehabilitation and Resettlement) Bill, 2022 in the Rajya Sabha. The Association said that this moment is not merely a parliamentary procedure but a moral and constitutional milestone for a community that has endured 35 years of displacement, erasure, and unaddressed suffering.
The Bill that seeks to provide comprehensive social, political, and economic rehabilitation for Kashmiri Pandits, ensure protection of their property, facilitate the restoration of their cultural heritage, guarantee their safety and security, and deliver a structured rehabilitation and resettlement package for the community.
In a statement, Kashmiri Pandit Wing President Krishna Saproo said that this pioneering effort marks a significant moment in India’s legislative history, as it becomes the first private member’s Bill with financial implications to receive the President’s recommendation. Such recognition affirms that the plight of Kashmiri Pandits is not a marginal concern but a central constitutional responsibility of the Republic.
The Bill’s explicit acknowledgment of Kashmiri Pandits as victims is a watershed moment in their decades-long struggle for truth and justice. The tragic events of January 1990 uprooted over 450,000 indigenous inhabitants from their ancestral homeland. By naming this reality with moral clarity, MP Vivek Tankha has restored dignity to a truth long suppressed in national discourse.
He emphasized that this legislation represents not charity, but a comprehensive framework for justice; one that addresses the material, political, cultural, and existential dimensions of displacement. It envisions consolidated resettlement in Kashmir with security guarantees, reflecting the core principle of return with dignity, autonomy, and constitutional protection.
He asserted that the tabling of this Bill on 5th December for discussion in the Rajya Sabha marks a historic day for the Kashmiri Pandit community. It has transformed a decades-long humanitarian crisis from a neglected footnote in Kashmir’s conflict narrative into a central test of India’s constitutional integrity. Vivek Tankha’s leadership has demonstrated empathy, courage, and statesmanship, reaffirming that the Republic cannot remain indifferent to the suffering of its indigenous communities.
The Association remains hopeful that all political parties, including the treasury benches, will rise above partisanship to support this Bill. This is not a political favor but a constitutional obligation, and its passage would ease the long-standing suffering of thousands of displaced families. We firmly believe that parliamentary consensus will prevail and that the concerned branches of government will ensure the Bill reaches its logical conclusion, it added.
This is indeed a moment of historical vindication for the Kashmiri Pandit community. We express our deep gratitude to Rajya Sabha MP Shri Vivek Tankha for his commitment to justice and his bold effort to restore dignity, security, and constitutional rights to a community that has waited far too long for acknowledgment and restitution.
The Association further urged all political parties to come forward, support, vote for, and pass the Bill tabled in the Rajya Sabha by MP Vivek Tankha. We appeal to all political parties, including the Congress and the BJP, to extend their support. Such collective backing would reflect the full weight and urgency of national legislative intent, enabling structured and enforceable mechanisms for justice, restitution, and dignified return, it added.
