Ali Mohammad Sagar Refutes BJP’s Claims on Kashmiri Pandit Exodus, Blames Jagmohan and Mufti Sayeed

National Conference (NC) General Secretary and MLA Ali Mohammad Sagar has refuted recent statements by BJP leaders alleging that the National Conference was responsible for the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley.

In a statement he described these claims as “baseless and untrue.” Sagar emphasised that both historical records and the collective memory of the people of Jammu and Kashmir attest to the fact that the displacement of Kashmiri Pandits occurred under the administration of then-Governor Jagmohan and then-Union Home Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. He asserted that directives from these officials led to the migration, which he described as a conspiracy aimed at defaming the Muslim community of Kashmir.

He further highlighted that Governor Jagmohan and Home Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had assured the Kashmiri Pandit community of their return to the Valley within two months, a promise that remained unfulfilled. Sagar underscored the longstanding commitment of Kashmiri Muslims to safeguarding minority communities, recalling the slogan of Sher-e-Kashmir Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah: “Hindu, Muslim, Sikh Itihad.”

He noted that it was during Dr Farooq Abdullah’s government that initiatives for the rehabilitation and accommodation of displaced individuals in both Jammu and Kashmir divisions were undertaken. The National Conference has consistently appealed to Kashmiri Pandits to return to their homes, reiterating that Kashmir is incomplete without them and that they are an integral part of the region’s fabric.Sagar criticisd the BJP for failing to protect the rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and for leading the region into an economic crisis.