Srinagar, June 04: In a sharp critique of a recent interfaith initiative, Roots in Kashmir, a prominent Kashmiri Pandit organization, has raised serious concerns over what it calls the deliberate sidelining of key religious communities in Jammu & Kashmir. The group alleges that the event reflects the prevailing mindset to marginalize and eliminate the presence of Kashmiri Pandits in Kashmir province and Hindus in Jammu & Kashmir
A senior activist Roots in Kashmir, Rahul Mahanoori, while criticizing the exclusion of key religious communities, said, “An interfaith dialogue in Kashmir without its aboriginal community—the Kashmiri Pandits—and without representation from the two major religious communities of J&K and Ladakh—Hindus and Buddhists—raises serious questions about the intent and credibility of the entire exercise.”
In a statement, Amit Raina, spokesperson for Roots in Kashmir, said, “The presence of political leaders known for their separatist ideologies reinforces our long-standing concern that forces in Kashmir are still actively working to erase the Kashmiri Pandit identity. The ethnic cleansing of our community is not just a historical fact—it is a continuing reality.”
Roots in Kashmir firmly believes that the so-called interfaith dialogue was not aimed at fostering genuine understanding or reconciliation across faiths. Instead, the group alleges that the true objective was to consolidate unity within Islamic factions, sidelining other communities.
“The inclusion of figures like Mirwaiz and Waheed Parra only makes it clearer—the event was never about interfaith harmony, but about internal consolidation of Islamic factions under a single narrative,” Raina emphasized.
