Prayagraj: Ravindra Pandit, All India Kashmiri Samaj president, on Tuesday criticised the central government for its “indifference” towards acquiring the rights to worship at the Sharda Peeth, an ancient Hindu temple located in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Speaking at a press conference at the Sringeri Math in Daraganj here, Pandit said, “At present, under the India-Pakistan treaty, only those people from Kashmir can go to Sharda Peeth who have relatives there (in PoK). But as no Kashmiri (Hindu) has any relatives there, they can’t go there.”
He said, “Last month when Union Home Minister (Amit Shah) met Shankaracharya Vidhushekhara Bharati ji of Sringeri Peetha at Maha Kumbh, he assured that the government was working in this regard. But the government is not giving any time limit.”
Kashmiri Pandit activist alleged that the Sharda temple, located merely 10 km from the Line of Control (LoC), is being encroached upon.
“If the Indian government does not take action, we will go to the International Court (of Justice) or else we will be forced to cross the Line of Control,” he said.
Ravindra Pandit, has been vocal about the Sharda Peeth issue on various forums, seeking worship rights at the ancient Hindu temple in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). He alleged that his applications for a Line of Control (LoC) permit to visit the temple were rejected twice by the central government due to treaty restrictions.
Ravindra Pandit, while speaking to the reporters, urged the central government to take concrete steps towards rehabilitating Kashmiri Pandits in Kashmir. Additionally, he advocated for the establishment of a shrine board to safeguard the temples located in the Valley.
(inputs from PTI)