With local recruitment down to almost zero and militant attacks waning this year, Kashmir on Saturday (June 13, 2026) witnessed a rare push to reconciliation and return of displaced Kashmir Pandits to the Valley, after a batch of Pandits toured heritage sites for six days to test the degree of normalcy after 36 years living apart.

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said this homecoming was the “truest victory”.

Dr. Surinder Koul, who heads the Global Kashmiri Pandit Diaspora, has pushed for an initiative titled ‘Pragash’ to set the stage for “a historic dialogue, reflection, heritage preservation, cultural renaissance and community empowerment.” Around eight Pandit organisations have lent support to this initiative, and around 100 Pandits toured heritage sites across the Valley for a firsthand experience of the “changed situation”.

“Terrorism is no longer a fear factor in Kashmir. We drove from Kupwara’s Tikker to Srinagar in the middle of the night. Dalgate in Srinagar was buzzing with tourists and vendors. We want to be part of the change,” said Mr. Koul.

Mr. Koul also praised non-displaced Pandits who stayed back in Kashmir and asked Muslims “to ensure their protection”. “Pandits here are under the protection of Muslims till we all return to Kashmir,” he added.

Referring to his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2019 in the United States, Mr. Koul said the initiative, Pragaash, was an effort to reconnect with our ancestry. “I remember Prime Minister Modi saying that Pandits have suffered a lot and the atmosphere needs to be changed with collective efforts. Indeed, Kashmir has changed a lot,” said Mr. Koul.

Mr. Koul, accompanied by scores of Pandits from different parts of the world, visited prominent heritage sites like the Martand Temple, Kheer Bhawani, Sharda Peeth, and others to assess the ground situation and motivate Pandits to return to Kashmir, which the community left because of raging militancy in the 1990s.   

“I returned to Kashmir after 36 years. I have one complaint that people pretend not to have seen or heard anything in 1990 when the community was driven out. However, the fact remains that those who destroyed us also destroyed their own people. I must state that Pandits are not anybody’s enemies. Places like Martand temple are our collective heritage, whether a Pandit or a Muslim,” said Mr. Koul.   

Scores of Pandits have pledged to return to Kashmir after this tour. “I was from Srinagar’s Rainawari area. We have decided to come back and become part of Kashmir. Our ultimate dream is to settle here and die here,” said Neerja Sadhu. She said spotting the Chinar tree triggered a stream of memories from her childhood spent in Kashmir. “Kashmir is a spiritual land and a torchbearer. It was an unbearable torture to leave Kashmir,” she added.

The community organised a first-ever two-day international conference at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) to bring together scholars, policymakers, entrepreneurs, youth leaders and artists under the theme “From Exile to Excellence – Kashmiri Pandit Journey of Resilience, Renaissance and Return.” “I salute the Lieutenant Governor and the J&K Police who made sacrifices to safeguard Kashmir,” said Mr. Koul. 

Kashmiri Pandits also hosted former J&K Director General of Police R.R. Swain, the architect of a new style of policing in Kashmir, to steer the community’s plans to return to Kashmir.  

Speaking at the SKICC, L-G Sinha termed the two-day conference as “a moment of transformation”. “Those once uprooted from their homeland return and this homecoming is the truest victory,” said Mr. Sinha.

He called upon “distinguished members of the Kashmiri Pandit Community to set up industries, academic and cultural institutions in J&K that will become the immortal story of their heritage and provide opportunities to generations to come”.

“The journey of the Kashmiri Pandit community has been scarred by genocide, exile and struggle. The world once witnessed their wounds and now the triumph. The community chose a different path. They refused to be defined by wounds and struggle. Instead, they transformed that pain into strength,” said Mr. Sinha.

Revival of panel

Speaking on the occasion, Nasir Aslam Wani, advisor to J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, also called for the revival of the Apex Committee on the return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits.

“A structured dialogue mechanism was essential to facilitate the dignified return of the displaced community to the Valley. Kashmir would remain incomplete until Kashmiri Pandits returned and lived alongside Kashmiri Muslims once again,” said Mr. Wani.

He said despite various rehabilitation packages, transit accommodations and initiatives introduced over the years, the larger objective of facilitating the return of Kashmiri Pandits had not been fully achieved. He reiterated that both the communities “share a common history and future”.

“The J&K government would soon initiate discussions with community representatives and take steps towards reviving the Apex Committee, which was constituted in 2009 to oversee the return and rehabilitation process of displaced Kashmiri Pandits,”he added.

The Pandit initiative was also attended by Uphaar Kotru, President, Kashmiri Overseas Association (KOA); Utpal Kaul, International Coordinator & Global Kashmiri Pandit Diaspora (GKPD); Ashwani Bhat, President, Kashmiri Pandit Association (KPA) Mumbai; Sanjay Koul, President All Minority Employees Association Kashmir (AMEAK); Autar Krishan Trakroo and others.