We are shocked and horrified by the news of the inhuman and
unconscionable massacre of 24 innocent Kashmiri Pandit children,
women and men in Pulwama district of Kashmiri Valley late last night.
We condemn this ghastly killing of defenceless people in the
strongest possible terms.

The cowards behind the latest outrage are unlikely to identify
themselves. But there can be do doubt that the latest massacre is a
desperate bid by those eager to communalise the Kashmir issue to
sabotage any effort towards ensuring the return of the Kashmiri
Pandits to their homes.

Our hearts go out to the survivors of the carnage in particular, and
the Kashmiri Pandit community in general, the overwhelming majority
of whom have been condemned to live the life of refugees in their own
country because of Pakistan-aided terrorism in the Valley. We demand
an urgent review of the security arrangements for Kashmiri Pandits
throughout the Valley and immediate and adequate compensation for the
families of those killed by the J&K government.

The J&K chief minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed has called it "[an]
unpardonable crime by militants to derail the peace process initiated
in J&K by the coalition government." He has also said he has asked
the security forces to launch a massive manhunt and bring the killers
to the book for "these gun-wielding militants deserve no mercy."

However, we also demand a thorough investigation in the security
lapses that turned the vulnerable Kashmiri Pandits into easy targets
of mass murderers who pretend to be serving lofty causes.

Signatories:

Javed Anand (Co-editor, Communalism Combat, Mumbai)
Teesta Setalvad (Co-editor, Communalism Combat, Mumbai)
Javed Akhtar (Poet and Lyricist)
Shabana Azmi, (Rajya Sabha MP, social activist and actress).
Dr. Agni Shekhar (Panun Kashmir)
Askok Pandit (Panun Kashmir)
Mahesh Bhatt, Film director
Farooque Shaikh, films, theatre and TV personality
Nikhil Wagle, Editor, Apla Mahanagar
Sajid Rashid, Editor, Hindi Mahanagar
Hasan Kamal, Lyricist and Columnist
Gulam Mohamed Peshimam,Businessman
Sushobha Barve, Social Activist
Javed Siddiqui, Writer
Aslam Parvaiz, Advertising
Farrukh S. Waris, Educationist
Syed Firoz Ashraf, Social Activist
Yacoob Rahee, Writer, Social Activist
Fazal Shaad, Social Activist
Abdulkader Mukadam, Columnist, Social Activist
Khan Ahmed Ali, Social Activist
Vaqar Kadvi, Social Activist
Shamim Tariq, Social Activist
Salem bin Razak, Social Activist
Muqaddar Hameed, Writer
Khan Ayub, Social Activist
Salim Alware, Social Activist