Archive · 19 Sep 2026
Quraishi Urges J&K Statehood and Kashmiri Pandit Return
S.Y. Quraishi said Jammu and Kashmir should quickly become a state again.
He argued that an elected government needs real powers to govern properly.
Jammu and Kashmir became a Union Territory in 2019.
Quraishi said the promise to restore statehood has not yet been fulfilled.
He also said displaced Kashmiri Pandits should be able to return home with dignity.
He described their return as important for both morality and culture.
He urged Muslims and Pandits to rebuild the shared traditions of Kashmir.
Other speakers said the current government has struggled partly because it has limited authority.
They also remembered Mohammad Shafi Pandit for his public service and administrative reforms.
Former Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi called for the immediate restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
Quraishi described the 2019 conversion of Jammu and Kashmir into a Union Territory as a grave injustice.
He said an elected government requires full administrative authority to have meaningful democratic legitimacy.
Quraishi called the dignified return of displaced Kashmiri Pandits a moral obligation and cultural necessity.
Speakers at the Mohammad Shafi Pandit Memorial Lecture also criticized limited powers and urged reconciliation in the region.
- Who
- Former Chief Election Commissioner of India S.Y. Quraishi, Group of Concerned Citizens representatives, and other speakers at the memorial lecture.
- What
- They called for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood, the return of displaced Kashmiri Pandits, and renewed reconciliation.
- When
- The remarks were made on Saturday at the 2nd Mohammad Shafi Pandit Memorial Lecture; the article does not specify the date.
- Where
- Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir.
- Why
- Quraishi said restoring statehood would give the elected government meaningful authority, while the return of Kashmiri Pandits would help revive Kashmir’s shared social and cultural ethos.
Supporters of Immediate Statehood and Reconciliation
Arguments for Continued Limited Authority
Restoration of statehood
Supporters of Immediate Statehood and Reconciliation
Quraishi and Khurshid Ahmad Ganai said statehood should be restored quickly so the elected government can exercise full authority and be held accountable.
Arguments for Continued Limited Authority
The article does not identify a speaker explicitly arguing against restoration; it notes only that the Union Territory arrangement followed the 2019 reorganisation and that its continuation limits the elected government.
Performance of the elected government
Supporters of Immediate Statehood and Reconciliation
Ganai said the current administration’s limited powers weaken accountability and give it grounds to cite insufficient authority for governance problems.
Arguments for Continued Limited Authority
Ganai also criticized what many perceive as the administration’s lacklustre performance, suggesting that restoring statehood would allow it to be judged more fully on its results.
- Main demand
- Immediate restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
- Current status
- Jammu and Kashmir was converted from a state into a Union Territory in 2019.
- Return of Pandits
- Quraishi called the dignified return of displaced Kashmiri Pandits a moral obligation and cultural necessity.
- Democratic concern
- He argued that an elected government without full administrative powers is not fully effective.
- Event
- 2nd Mohammad Shafi Pandit Memorial Lecture.
- Civil society group
- The Group of Concerned Citizens advocates constitutional rights, social justice, environmental protection, cultural preservation, and public welfare.
- Pandit’s legacy
- Mohammad Shafi Pandit was remembered for administrative innovation, public service, and the concept of single-line administration.