Pallone Hosts Hearing on Plight of Kashmiri Pandits: Nov 14, 2003

Congressman Frank Pallone recently hosted a hearing on Capitol Hill to apprise Congressional aides about the lot of Kashmiri Pandits. Despite his unstinting support for India on Capitol Hill, the New Jersey Democrat and founder and former co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian-Americans has never shied away from faulting New Delhi for its apathy towards Pandits who fled the Kashmir valley following terrorist violence in Jammu and Kashmir.

Pandits tell US Congress their woes : Oct 31, 2003

Members of Congress have heard a graphic account of ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Pandits, Sikhs and moderate Muslims from Kashmir at the hands of Pakistan-backed Jihadis mostly sent across the Line of Control and some converted to their cause in the Valley. National Director of the Indo-American Kashmir Forum Jeevan Zutshi said at a conference sponsored by Congressman Frank Pallone, founder and former Co-Chairman of the India Caucus yesterday that in 1990, 300,000 Kashmiri Pandits, Sikhs and moderate Muslims had to flee Kashmir for their lives to neighbouring parts of India.

Congressional Briefing reported by India West on Oct 30, 2003

Washington D.C: A leader of a Hindu Kashmiri group related to a conference here stories of violence and ethnic cleansing in Kashmir by Pakistan backed Jihadis, mostly sent across the Line of Control.In 1990, 300,000 Kashmiri Pandits, Sikhs and moderate Muslims had to flee Kashmir to neighboring parts of India, and several have been forced to live in wretched camps in subhuman conditions, Jeevan Zutshi, national Director of Indo-American Kashmir Forum,told the Oct. 30 conference sponsored by Congressman Frank Pallone, and the Congressional Caucus on Indo-Americans.

Honoring Jeevan Zutshi for his dedication to Kashmir: Sep 3, 2003

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a dedicated member of the Kashmiri-American community, Jeevan Zutshi, for his years of tireless work on behalf of Kashmir.In 1986, Mr. Zutshi began a Kashmiri Overseas Association Chapter in California and was elected as the Association’s national Vide-President in 1989. Mr. Zutshi was instrumental in helping to initiate and organize a series of fundraisers for Kashmiri refugees immediately following the exodus of 300,000 Pandits from Kashmir in 1990, the first of which was held in his hometown of Fremont, CA.

Pallone for closer US-India defense ties : Aug 19, 2003

India and the United States need to build a strong defence relationship on the lines of NATO, a leading US Congressman Frank Pallone has said. Pallone, who was here for a fundraising event hosted by local activist and Kashmiri leader, Jeevan Zutshi, said, “I believe it is very difficult to develop a true close relationship with another country, unless there is a defence relationship.””I honestly believe that we are going to see the day when there is going to be a formal defence treaty arrangement, maybe something like NATO. It could be a South Asian alliance, with India leading other countries of the region into some kind of formal military alliance with the United States,” Pallone, co-founder of India Caucus,

Indo-American Kashmiris From California showcase culture: Aug 17, 2003

Fremont : It was a very special day here in Northern California, USA when all local Indian ‘groups’ put up a celebration of India’s independence day parade on Sunday, August 17, 2003. Kashmiri Pandits celebrated the independence day by having a float that was called “Kashmir Paradise on Earth”. It contained a kashmiri bride and bridegroom, a hukka-smoking man, a pandit ji blessing the crowd, and a bunch of teenagers and teen-at-heart singing and dancing Bombro-Bombro, seated in a shikara on a lotus decked lake, tastefully painted by volunteers. The boat had a swag of ‘hill’ (moss) hanging at its tail as well.

Governor’s wife to speak at Fremont Unity Dinner – by T.T. Nhu, The Mercury News Jan 6, 2003

Sharon Davis, wife of Gov. Gray Davis, will deliver one of the keynote speeches at a Jan. 24 Fremont dinner that organizers say will celebrate the area’s diversity and send a message of peace and unity. About 500 people, including a number of elected officials, are expected to attend the second Unity Dinner at the Fremont Marriott Hotel. “With 140 languages spoken in Fremont, once a year, we are having this celebration to set the tone and bring together our diverse communities,” said Jeevan Zutshi, the organizer of the event”. “Compared to other places in the world, we are uncommonly united in Fremont where we know how important it is to understand different cultures.”

Dinner to offer message of peace : 2003

That’s the theory behind a proposed partnership between the United States and India to build universities that would teach meditation and peace-building strategies based on ancient practices and modern science. The primary backer of the project — which includes a 40,000-student university in India and an 8,000-student university in the United States — will detail his plan for the first time Friday night at the third annual Unity Dinner, sponsored by the Fremont-based IndoAmerican Community Federation.

Unity in 2003 – by Sara Dunn, The Argus Jan 1, 2003

FREMONT _ The Indo-American Community Federation will hold its second “Unity Dinner” in an effort to forge a strong bond and sense of understanding between the different ethnic, religious and cultural groups living in the Tri-City area. While the evening will feature Indian cultural performances, the Jan. 24 event is meant to bring the community together rather than just to highlight a particular group. “It will bring together not only the different religious groups from India but all the other diverse groups (living in the area),” said Jeevan Zutshi, founder of the federation. The idea to hold the dinner came after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Dinner for Unity on 24th January 2003 – A Report by India Currents Dec 2, 2002

Unity in diversity. What better a place to demonstrate this eternal motto than a place as diverse as the U.S, in a city as multicultural as Fremont? Indo-American Community Federation (IACF), a Fremont based non-profit organization, is hosting a “Unity Dinner” to send out the message that we all need to stand together as American. Especially in the wake of 9/11. “After Sept. 11 (2001) it has become all the more important to understand each other’s culture and unite the community, and also educate the mainstream about the culture, “says Jeevan Zutshi of IACF.