New Delhi, Aug 9 (IANS): The Global Kashmiri Diaspora (GKPD) has welcomed the government's decision to reopen cases of Kashmiri Hindu genocide.

One of GKPD's key demands over the last 34 years has been to get justice for martyrs who were killed because they owed allegiance to the Constitution of India and because of their faith.

"We have worked tirelessly over the intervening years to approach the judiciary but have had no positive response. This announcement to direct the State Investigation agency (SIA) to effectively investigate terror related cases against the Kashmiri Pandits and coordinate with central agencies marks the beginning of a process which will go a long way in providing much needed succour to our long-suffering community," GKPD said.

GKPD will actively monitor the progress that SIA is making in the speedy prosecution of these terror crimes both at the individual perpetrator level as also the mastermind conspirators whether domestic or abroad.

"Thirty four years back our community was ethnically cleansed from our ancestral homeland following a pogrom of violence and terror unleashed against us. Eminent community members like Justice Neelkanth Ganjoo, Pandit Tika Lal Taploo, Pandit Sarwanand Kaul Premi, Pandit Lassa Kaul, Justice P.N. Bhat to name a few were murdered in cold blood," it said.

"In total over 1,400 members of our community were martyred with lakhs rendered homeless almost overnight. Till date, no one has been trialed or persecuted for these murders. In a vast majority of cases even an FIR was not lodged," said GKPD.