National Conference president Farooq Abdullah stated on January 19, 2026, that while Kashmiri Pandits are welcome to return to their homes in the Valley, he doubts they will choose to live there permanently. His skepticism stems from the fact that many displaced Pandits have established new lives, with their children pursuing education and employment across other parts of India. Abdullah emphasized that no one is stopping them from returning and noted that many Kashmiri Pandit families never left the Valley and continue to reside there peacefully. These comments were made on a day observed as 'Holocaust Day' or 'Exodus Day' by the Kashmiri Pandit community, commemorating their mass exodus from the Valley in 1990 due to militancy and threats. Coinciding with Abdullah's statements, hundreds of Kashmiri Pandits, under the banner of 'Youth 4 Panun Kashmir,' blocked the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway near Jagti migrant camp. They were protesting and demanding a separate homeland in the Valley for their rehabilitation and the passage of a parliamentary bill to recognize the 1990 exodus as genocide. The BJP's J&K unit, in response, accused Farooq Abdullah of evading responsibility for the 1990 exodus, asserting that the community's flight was forced, not voluntary. Abdullah recalled assuring migrant Pandits of government support for housing during his tenure, noting that current implementation rests with the Central government.