Kashmiri Pandits’ security stepped up after ‘threat letter’ from Lashkar arm

SRINAGAR: The police in Jammu and Kashmir have intensified security measures in areas inhabited by Kashmiri Pandits following claims of a purported threat letter from an alleged Lashkar affiliate. Panun Kashmir, a group representing the Pandit community, alleged that the letter bore the signatures of United Liberation Council, a group associated with Lashkar. The letter listed several community members and their contact details, along with explicit threats to target the individuals and their families.

Agnishekar, the convenor of Panun Kashmir, cautioned that the letter represented a significant escalation in threats against the community. He emphasized the importance of investigating the source of the information and establishing whether it was genuine or used as a form of psychological warfare. IGP Kashmir VK Birdi confirmed that the police were currently probing the threat letter, which had reportedly been released on social media on August 7.

Divisional Commissioner Anshul Garg stated that while some Pandit employees had been granted permission to work from home temporarily, there was no blanket order for all Pandit personnel. Education officials confirmed that the department had not issued a work-from-home order for all Pandit staff.

Panun Kashmir's Agnishekar described the letter as a dangerous escalation, noting that it went beyond generic threats and appeared to identify individuals as potential targets. He warned that the publication of names and personal contact details, along with threats to the individuals and their families, posed a grave threat to the community. Agnishekar stressed that this was not mere rhetoric but a clear indication of the potential for intimidation and terror.

The threat was particularly alarming given the community's history of facing targeted killings, intimidation, and forced displacement from Kashmir. Panun Kashmir has been advocating for a separate homeland for the Pandits within the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Another community group, the Kashmiri Pandit Sangarsh Samiti, which represents those who remained in the Valley after the 1990s migration, called the new threat a conspiracy aimed at sabotaging the community's existence.

The Sangarsh Samiti highlighted recent terror attacks in South Kashmir, followed by fresh threat posters naming Pandit employees, as evidence of the ongoing vulnerability faced by the community. In 2008, the UPA government introduced a rehabilitation package for Pandits who had to leave the Valley in the 1990s, providing them with 6,000 government jobs and creating new positions.