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'The return of Pandits to Kashmir means the return of Kashmir to India'

The second World Conference of Kashmiri Pandits began in New Delhi with a demand for licenced arms for self protection in the wake of the Wandhama massacre.

''We have to save ourselves to save the country. India is an extension and expansion of Kashmir. The return of Pandits to Kashmir means the return of Kashmir to India,'' says Dr Agnishekhar, convener of Panun Kashmiri, an organisation of Pandits.

Panun Kashmir has organised the conference. The meeting has delegates from as many as 17 countries.

Dr Agnishekhar said the massacre has proved the state government's claim that the Kashmir situation had improved hollow. All the plans of returning the Pandits had ended ''with a bang with the massacre of seven people at Sangrampura in Badgam last year and the Wandhama massacre now.''

Criticising the Congress for issuing an apology for the Ayodhya incident, Dr Agnishekhar said the leaders could apologise for lifeless stones but did not have a single word of regret for the 350,000 Pandits living in pathetic condition in various parts of the country since 1990.

''It is a national shame,'' he said.

Film director Mahesh Bhat, while addressing the gathering, called for a ''determined fight through non violence.''

He said if South African leader Nelson Mandela could draw inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi and rid his people of apartheid, Kashmiri Pandits could also carry their fight that way. He appealed for a dedication to Gandhi's spirit.

''Fifty years ago, Gandhiji fell to an assassin's bullets here and 50 years later we stand where we were then. What is it that makes the killers persist?'' he asked.

At the conference, several noted personalities were presented the Sharada Samman for outstanding contribution to the nation. The recipients included Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray, Kashmiri astrologer Prem Nath Shastri, historian P N K Bamzai, poet S N Bhat Haleem, music maestro S N Sopori, Lt K L Kaul and Vishwa Bharati, an educational institution.

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