The United Liberation Council (ULC), described by Indian intelligence sources as a front of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), has issued a threatening letter targeting Kashmiri Pandit officials working in Jammu and Kashmir. The group claimed to have information about their families, locations and workplaces and warned that they could be targeted even if they relocated to Jammu.
Dated August 7, the letter also threatened Jammu and Kashmir’s Lieutenant Governor, the Director General of Police and officials in New Delhi over what the group described as the “attachment of properties” and the alleged harassment of relatives of its supporters and members.
A senior Srinagar-based journalist confirmed the authenticity of the letter to India Today Digital and said such threats cause considerable fear within the Kashmiri Pandit community, particularly in Jammu.
MK Dhar, Media Secretary of Panun Kashmir, condemned the threats as unacceptable. “For how much longer must Kashmiri Hindus live in hiding?” he asked.
Kashmiri Pandits were forced to leave the Kashmir Valley in large numbers during the 1990s following a surge in terrorism, targeted killings and threats against the community.
Terrorists issued warnings through local mosques, asking Kashmiri Hindus to convert to Islam, leave the Valley or face death. The violence and intimidation resulted in a mass exodus, with displaced Kashmiri Pandits settling in different parts of India, including a large number in Jammu.
ULC THREATENS PANDIT OFFICIALS AND POLICE PERSONNEL
In its communication, the ULC threatened retaliation against government departments and specifically mentioned the Revenue Department, claiming that several Kashmiri Pandit officials worked there.
The group alleged that it possessed information about the officials and their family members and warned that they could be attacked even if they moved to Jammu.
The letter named six government employees belonging to the Kashmiri Pandit community. India Today Digital has withheld their identities and other personal details mentioned in the terrorist communication.
The letter also contained threats against police personnel. It claimed that the police force was largely composed of local residents and suggested that individual officers could therefore be vulnerable to attacks.
The communication was signed by a person identifying himself as Ahmad Bilal, described as the organisation’s “Media Coordinator” and “Soldier of Resistance”.
KASHMIRI VOICES CONDEMN THE THREATS
The threats have drawn condemnation from Kashmiri voices, including Junaid Qureshi, Director of the Amsterdam-based European Foundation for South Asian Studies (EFSAS).
Qureshi condemned the targeting of Kashmiri Pandits and acknowledged the failure of Kashmiri Muslims to protect the community in the past, while saying such attacks would not be allowed again.
“We, Kashmiri Muslims, failed our Pandit brethren once. This time, you will not be able to touch any one of them,” Qureshi wrote on X.
Other social media users also condemned the communication and expressed solidarity with the Kashmiri Pandit community, saying they deserved security, dignity and justice rather than fear and intimidation.
Panun Kashmir, an organisation representing displaced Kashmiri Pandits, has also strongly condemned the threat.
PANUN KASHMIR SEEKS IMMEDIATE SECURITY ASSESSMENT
In a statement issued on August 8, Panun Kashmir Convenor Agnishekhar described the communication as a serious escalation, particularly because it allegedly disclosed names and telephone numbers while claiming access to information about the targeted individuals, their families, locations and workplaces.
He said the publication of personal details alongside explicit threats could intimidate those named and create fear within the wider Kashmiri Pandit community, given its history of targeted killings, threats and displacement.
Panun Kashmir has urged Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to order an immediate and comprehensive security assessment of everyone named in the letter and their immediate family members.
The organisation has also called for an investigation into whether the ULC genuinely obtained the personal information it claims to possess or whether the details are being used as part of a psychological warfare campaign.
Agnishekhar said authorities should examine the source of the information, the digital trail associated with the communication and whether the targeted individuals have been subjected to surveillance, profiling or reconnaissance.
PANUN KASHMIR CALLS FOR TRANSPARENT GOVERNMENT RESPONSE
Panun Kashmir Media Secretary MK Dhar also urged the government led by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to respond with transparency and take immediate action.
“For how many more years must we Kashmiri Hindus be in hiding like this? This is totally unacceptable,” Dhar told India Today Digital.
Jammu and Kashmir has experienced a decline in violence and disruption in recent years, particularly following the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. However, the latest threats against Kashmiri Pandits have raised fresh concerns about the security of the community.
The communication also comes amid recent targeted attacks on migrant workers in Jammu and Kashmir. In July, two migrant workers from Chhattisgarh, Deepak and Bhupender, were shot by terrorists in Kellam village in Kulgam district, with one of them killed.
Authorities are now expected to assess the credibility of the threats and determine whether the individuals named in the communication require additional security protection.
