New Delhi: A group of overseas Kashmiri Pandits under the banner of ‘Global Kashmiri Pandit Diaspora’ (GKDP) protested outside the office of The Washington Post in the US capital city Washington DC Saturday.
The protest was organised against what they called an “unbearable series” of articles published in newspaper following the scrapping of Article 370 and Article 35A in Jammu and Kashmir by the Narendra Modi government.
Dr Surinder Kaul, the Houston-based international coordinator of the GKDP, told ThePrint: “Ever since the abrogation of Article 370, there has been peddling of distorted versions of the situation against Kashmiri Pandits by media outlets like The Washington Post.”
He accused the newspaper of being unfair and said it does not publish articles on the “forced exodus of 4,50,000 Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley along with genocide and ethnic cleansing”.
Sonia Dhar, a 28-year-old protestor from Trenton, New Jersey, who works as home health aide, said: “It is very pertinent for us to express our raw emotions about the plight of displacement which we suffer across generations.”
Protestors chanted slogans such as “Why choose jihadi news?” and “Hear our voices, tell our stories”.
However, there was another small group of people right across the street opposing the protest.
“There were a few anxious moments between the two groups which were diffused with the intervention of civic authorities, security staff of The Washington Post and appeals of GKDP members,” said Mohan Sapru, chief coordinator of the protest.
Sapru added that there were 300 people from the NRI community in the US during the three-hour-long protest. Some joined in from New York and New Jersey.
The protesters were especially angry about an article published on 16 August with the headline ‘The Kashmir crisis isn’t about territory. It’s about a Hindu victory over Islam’. It was written by Kapil Komireddi, author of a recent book titled Malevolent Republic: A Short History of The New India.
Protestors also conveyed this to a representative of news organisation when he came to receive their memorandum.
Also read: Right-wing exaggerates number of Kashmiri Pandits killed. Militants targeted Muslims more
I see many pseudo secular people crying fowl here for human rights of Muslim in Kashmir. One thing is sure that these fake human right activist are paid and just cry only for the thing for which they are paid. Some even do not know the History of India and it’s integral part of Kashmir.
I would like to tell them first know the meaning of Kashmir and after whom we call that region Kashmir.
Muslim can’t say Kashmir is belong to them by forcefully converting and killing local Hindus.
Blind liberal and leftist can’t see that they have converted London into Londonistan and Europe.
Instead of giving LoC to Afghanistan, Bhutan, Russia to the tune of billions of dollars modi should have relocated the hapless Kashmiri Pundits. Now shedding crocodile tears is of no use. While on the subject I invite patriotic Indians to watch my video- Homage to Pandit Nehru by p g joseph- in YouTube.
They should switch to Republic TV and other propaganda newspapers if they want to read the news about Kashmir according to their liking. They can’t have the reputed international media peddle the false government narrative.
Kashmiri Pandits can now return to their homeland rather than staying in USA and fulfill their dream
How? And why?? The mullahs are worried about demographic change – but they dont mind chasing Hindus out to change the demographics themselves!
What kind of people are thay? People are being killed and tortured in kashmir, women are being molested by Indian Army and the world is silent but some publishing the truth risking their life and these PANDITS are opposing it. Do they have humanity?
Dear John or most likely Javed, or Jamaal, its good to see that you are concerned about human rights of fellow human beings ( or at least its pretence). Surely you have proof of these claimed atrocities?
Perhaps you forgot to raise your voice when these Pandits were getting killed, their life earnings looted and driven out of their homes by terrorists trained by your ISI?…assuming you are also equally concerned about killings torture, disappearances of PTM Pashtuns and Baloch at home, which your Army called ‘collateral damage’?? Also am sure you were appalled when your army actually committed genocide of bengalis in then East Pakistan? Kettle is calling the pot black!!
What about the Kashmiri Pandit’s plight. They were the victims of rape, killings and driven out of their homes. Their neighbour’s turned on them and occupied their homes and properties. Whatever you are saying, those are all fabricated lies of Pakistan and Pakistani diaspora.
@Mohammed alias John
You are funny?
Waah – Pakistani giving lecture on humanity to the world? Pakistan which commited genocide in Bangladesh – waged 30 year terrorist campaign killing tens of thousands..broke all the rules by murdering children, drone strikes on its own people, where terrorists murder and kidnap minorities daily – we get lessons from these people?
Sad that even the diaspora is getting divided.
When was it united ? And kashmiri muslims were the ones who killed any unity – right from the time of Aurangzeb.
America is a free country, so these citizens can certainly protest. However, our government has invited the Washington Post and similar respected media entities for a two hour interaction to place its views before them. Our diplomats will spend this month making India’s case to the world. Mistakes could be made while reporting, with so many restrictions still in place. However, it is absurd to accuse these globally respected newspapers of conscious bias or prejudice.