In a week marked by passionate debate and deep-rooted concerns, the issue of Kashmiri Pandit representation and cultural identity has once again taken center stage in Jammu and Kashmir. On October 15, 2025, Roots in Kashmir (RIK), a prominent advocacy group for displaced Kashmiri Pandits, publicly condemned both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the National Conference (NC) for what it described as a continued denial of political representation to Kashmiri Pandits and Pakistan Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (POJK) refugees in the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections from the region.
Despite decades of promises about the integration and rehabilitation of these displaced communities—who have lived in exile for more than thirty years—neither the BJP nor the NC nominated a single candidate from among Kashmiri Pandits or POJK refugees. This omission, according to RIK, is not just a political oversight but a moral failing. "It is deeply disappointing that the same parties who routinely invoke the pain and sacrifices of Kashmiri Pandits and POJK refugees during election campaigns have once again excluded them from real decision-making and representation," Amit Raina, spokesperson for Roots in Kashmir, told the press. "This continuing denial of voice and visibility is not just political negligence — it is a moral failure."
The frustration among the Kashmiri Pandit community is palpable. Ashish Zutshi, Senior Member of Roots in Kashmir, voiced a sentiment that has echoed across the community for years: "The Kashmiri Pandit community has been treated as a token constituency for far too long. Our pain is paraded, our culture is quoted — but our people are never empowered." According to RIK, the opportunity to demonstrate true inclusivity was well within reach for both major political parties, yet both chose to leave these historically marginalized groups without a voice in the upper house of Parliament.
Roots in Kashmir has called on the BJP and NC to revisit their nominations and take immediate corrective action to ensure that displaced and marginalized voices finally find representation in Parliament. The organization’s message was clear: democracy cannot thrive without genuine inclusion. "Political empowerment is the cornerstone of dignity," said Rahul Mahanoori of Roots in Kashmir. "Without seats at the table, promises of return and rehabilitation are empty words."
This controversy over political representation comes at a time when questions of cultural identity and historical narrative are also sparking debate in the Valley. On the same day, Kashmir’s Government College for Women on Srinagar’s Maulana Azad Road changed the name of its auditorium from 'Lalla Arifa' to 'Lal Ded', following a sustained protest by Kashmiri Pandits. The move, which was formalized during a function attended by Jammu and Kashmir’s Education Minister Sakeena Itoo on the college’s 75th anniversary, was seen by many in the Pandit community as a long-overdue correction of historical record.
Ravinder Pandita, Head of the Save Sharda Committee, welcomed the change, saying, "Good to see now the name changed from Lalla Arifa to Lal Ded Auditorium at Women’s College, Srinagar, Kashmir. When will the other names be restored? Lal Ded, the mystic saint, will live forever for Kashmir." The auditorium had previously been named 'Lalla Arifa', a title preferred by many Kashmiri Muslims, while the Pandit community reveres the 14th-century poet as 'Lal Ded' or 'Lalleshwari'.
The debate over the auditorium’s name came to a head in August 2025, when renowned Kashmiri Pandit Santoor player and composer Abhay Sopori refused to perform at the college’s planned music festival. Sopori cited the auditorium’s name as the reason for his protest, stating, "Good if the name has been changed. Lal Ded is the name that is equally regarded by both the communities. I did not perform at a musical festival of the college after the name of the auditorium was pointed out to me. I cancelled my performance in protest." Sopori’s decision underscored the sensitivities surrounding cultural symbols in the Valley, especially those that carry different meanings for different communities.
The Kashmiri Pandit Conference (KPC), a representative body of the Pandit community, also voiced strong opposition to the use of 'Lalla Arifa'. In a statement, KPC argued that the name was "not only a gross historical distortion but also an insult to the Kashmiri Pandit as well as the entire Hindu community and an act of cultural appropriation." The organization described Lal Ded as "not merely a poetess but the mother of Kashmiri Shaivite philosophy and the soul of Kashmir’s cultural and spiritual heritage. She was a great Brahman woman, a staunch devotee of Lord Shiva, and a fearless philosopher of the Shaiva cult. Her divine Vakhs carved the foundation of Kashmiri literature and continue to guide humanity with wisdom, courage, and truth."
While the name change was celebrated by many in the Pandit community, it also highlighted the delicate balance of cultural identity in Kashmir—a region where history, faith, and memory are deeply intertwined. The college’s principal, Prof. Yasmeen Farooq, declined to comment on the controversy, perhaps reflecting the sensitivity of the issue. Meanwhile, Education Minister Sakeena Itoo struck a more conciliatory tone, lauding the college’s rich legacy and its role in empowering women in Jammu and Kashmir. "This institution has, over the decades, been a cornerstone of women empowerment, nurturing generations of leaders, educators and professionals, who have contributed meaningfully across various fields," she said, while unveiling a commemorative Coffee Table Book marking the college’s 75 years.
The twin developments of the week—political exclusion in the Rajya Sabha nominations and the symbolic restoration of a cultural name—have reignited old debates about belonging, representation, and reconciliation in Kashmir. For many Kashmiri Pandits, the lack of political empowerment remains a core grievance, one that cannot be addressed by cultural gestures alone. As Ashish Zutshi of Roots in Kashmir put it, "If the political mainstream cannot find even one credible Kashmiri Pandit or POJK representative worthy of nomination, it exposes how hollow their claims of justice and equality truly are."
Yet, the restoration of Lal Ded’s name to the auditorium was, for others, a small but meaningful step toward acknowledging the Pandit community’s place in Kashmir’s cultural landscape. The challenge, as both sides seem to recognize, is to move beyond symbols and rhetoric to genuine inclusion—political, cultural, and social. After decades of promises and pain, the road to reconciliation in Kashmir remains fraught, but moments like these serve as a reminder of what’s at stake for all who call the Valley home.