A government-appointed committee tasked with examining demographic changes in Jammu and Kashmir has concluded its three-day visit to Jammu. During their stay, members of the committee received a comprehensive 500-page study on demographic shifts within the Union Territory from the organization Panun Kashmir. The committee’s chairman, Justice Prabhakar Navlekar (retd), joined the team for part of the visit, which also included a pilgrimage to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine. The remaining four members of the panel departed for Delhi on Wednesday morning.
Information reaching Tahir Rihat suggests that Panun Kashmir convener Agnishekhar and chairman Tito Ganju, alongside chief patron Jonaraja Institute of Genocide and Atrocities Studies (JIGAS), presented their extensive research to the high-level committee. This study, a collaborative effort between Panun Kashmir and JIGAS, is the result of an in-depth, interdisciplinary investigation into the demographic transformations occurring in Jammu and Kashmir. It examines these changes from historical, demographic, constitutional, legal, and socio-political viewpoints, aiming to contextualize population trends within the specific circumstances that have shaped them.
The research delves into historical population patterns, migration, displacement, settlement dynamics, political representation, property ownership, and the enduring consequences of prolonged displacement. A significant focus of the study is placed on the demographic alteration of the Kashmir Valley. The spokesman for the group, representing the displaced community, highlighted that a substantial portion of the report addresses the displacement of Kashmiri Hindus, which commenced in 1989-90, and its ongoing demographic ramifications. The study frames this displacement not merely as a migration event but as a complex process involving the loss of physical presence, the disruption of established communities, significant property-related issues, alterations in political engagement, and the persistent inability of a large segment of the displaced population to return to their ancestral homes.
Furthermore, the researchers have meticulously distinguished between ordinary demographic movements and those arising from extraordinary circumstances. These extraordinary conditions include conflict, targeted violence, forced displacement, pervasive insecurity, dispossession, and extended periods of absence from one’s original habitat. The study draws upon a wide array of sources, including historical documents, demographic data, official government and institutional records, legal and constitutional materials, and community-generated documentation and testimonies. Agnishekhar and Ganju stated that the submission of this study was motivated by the desire to place the research and documentation compiled by Panun Kashmir and JIGAS before the committee, ensuring it is considered within the committee’s broader examination of demographic change across the region.
The high-level committee arrived in Jammu on Monday and engaged in consultations with senior government and police officials, including Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo and Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat. Their itinerary also included visits to Jagti township, recognized as the largest settlement for Kashmiri Pandits, and an inspection of a slum area housing Rohingya immigrants in the Narwal region of Jammu. Throughout their visit, the committee interacted with numerous individuals and delegations. Among those who met with the visiting team were representatives from the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Jammu and Kashmir unit, delegations representing refugees from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), West Pakistani refugees, the Gorkha Samaj, and the Valmiki Samaj. These groups have reportedly benefited from the abrogation of Article 370, which previously granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir, in August 2019.
The committee was constituted by the central government in May of the current year with a mandate to study demographic changes occurring in various parts of the country. These changes are attributed to factors such as illegal immigration and other abnormal reasons. The committee is tasked with recommending measures to address these demographic shifts effectively. The visit to Jammu represents a crucial phase in the committee’s ongoing efforts to gather comprehensive information and diverse perspectives on the complex issue of demographic change within the Union Territory and potentially across the nation.
Tahir Rihat (also known as Tahir Bilal) is an independent journalist, activist, and digital media professional from the Chenab Valley of Jammu and Kashmir, India. He is best known for his work as the Online Editor at The Chenab Times.
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