The month of January brings hope for the entire world but for Kashmiri Pandits. the 19th day of January brings back the most heartbreaking pain of that day of the year 1990.
It’s the day, they were given only three options by the Islamic Jehadis, 1) To convert to Islam. 2) To face brutal death or 3) To migrate from their Motherland !!! The land where their generations had lived and thrived for hundreds of centuries.
This exodus of Kashmiri Hindus in 1990, takes back in history to the Six previous major exodus. The land of Kashmir, the original Kashyapmar, was created by Sage Kashyap and the bountiful nature had turned it into “Paradise on Earth”.
The Sanatan civilization welcomed Buddhism, which was introduced in the region by Emperor Ashok in 3 BC and both existed without any confrontation.
The first exodus of the Hindu community dates back to 1389-1413 CE, when Sultan Sikander Shah, also known as Sikander Butshikan (destroyer of idols), unleashed Islamic terror in the entire valley. The temples were razed and mosques were built in their place.
The second exodus took place in Fateh Shah ll’s regime, around 1505-1514 CE. Shah was hugely influenced by Shams-Ud-din Araqi, a Shia Sufi saint, and under his influence, Fateh Shah began persecuting all non-Muslims.
The third exodus happened under the Mughal rule. The Mughals had created an aura of tolerant governance around them but in reality, they left no stone unturned in torturing non-Muslim communities.
Sardar Itquad Khan adopted barbaric ways of converting Kashmiris to Islam.
Aurangzeb’s infamous governor Iftekhar Khan continued the reign of atrocities and terror, unleashed by his predecessors.
As a result, a large section of the Hindu community was forced to migrate to other parts of the country.
The Durranis of Afghanistan, took control of Kashmir, with the decline of the Mughal empire in the Kashmir valley in 1752. The Durranis allured on the Aurangzeb way, in cruelty and it triggered the fourth exodus of the Kashmiri Pandit community.
The cook of British officer, Abdul Qadeer made foul and fiery remarks against Maharaja Hari Sinh, in July 1931. Qadeer was ordered to face a trial and it blazed the sentiments of the Kashmiri Muslims against the Dogra dynasty.
The issue took an ugly turn after the protestors were fired upon. The communal violence broke out in regions like Naushera, Bohri Kadal etc.
Governor Trilokchand issued firing orders, hence the Kashmiri Pandits were worst targeted. This caused the fifth exodus of Kashmiri Pandits.
The independence from British rule brought elation to the entire country but the Kashmir valley suffered torment and tragedy post the partition of the nation.
Pakistan’s ISI-backed groups started igniting the radicalization of Kashmir. To sustain their agenda, they bred hatred against Kashmiri Pandits.
During the brutal attack on Kashmiri Hindus residing in areas that we address today, as Pakistan occupied Kashmir, they ran for their life to other parts of the country to save their identity.
Because of the partition of Bharat in 1947 and the Pakistan-sponsored ‘tribal’ attack thereafter, a large area was occupied by Pakistan (Pakistan-occupied Kashmir). A huge population, mainly belonging to the Hindu community, was displaced from the POJK.
Since the 1949 ceasefire, these areas of POJK have still not been retrieved back, hence the POJK persons have still not been able to go back to their homes. There were two more such migration movements during the 1965 and 1971 wars between Bharat and Pakistan. The migrants who belonged to POJK till 1947, were forced by the Pakistani army and the raiders to migrate to the Bharatiya side of ‘lind of control ‘ and they were once again coerced by the state government of Shaikh Abdullah to migrate to other parts of the nation.
The persons who migrated during the partition of Bharat and Pakistan in 1947 from West Pakistan were granted ‘refugee’ status and were settled in the various parts of the country but the migrants from Muzafarabad and Mirpur (of POJK) were without ‘refugee’ status and thus, refrained from gaining the support system of the government offered to others with the same status. The Governments, for sixty-five plus years in Bharat, positioned them as migrants from the POJK, which is still officially and legally, a part of Bharat, hence the citizens from these areas were not technically qualified to be categorised under the ‘refugee’ bracket. Agreed, but then it would and should have been the responsibility of the state government of Jammu and Kashmir, to re-settle them in the state. But, unfortunately, the then Government led by Abdullah showed complete disinterest in their well-being.
This is marked as the Sixth exodus of Kashmiri Pandits and Kashmiri Hindus.
Since its independence, Kashmir has not been peaceful. The distress had been persistently prevailing amongst the Kashmiri Muslims as Shaikh Abdullah, proclaimed himself as the saviour and leader of the Kashmiri Muslim community and he detested the Dogra rule under Maharaja Hari Singh. With each passing year, the unrest among Kashmiri Muslims grew by leaps and bounds.
In July 1989, a separatist organisation named Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) initiated separatist insurgency for the separation of Kashmir from Bharat.
On September 14th, 1989, a prominent Kashmiri Hindu named Tikalal Taploo was hit and shot dead. His killers remained scout-free and were never arrested. This instilled a sense of fear among the Kashmiri Pandits. They began feeling unsafe in their Motherland for generations.
On January 4th 1990, a local Urdu newspaper Aftab published a press release issued by Hizb-ul-Mujahiddin, insisting all Pandits vacate the valley immediately.
The letter stuck outside many of the Pandit homes read as below :
” We order You to leave Kashmir immediately; otherwise your children will be harmed – we are not scaring you, but this land is only for Muslims and is the land of Allah. Sikhs and Hindus cannot stay here. Kashmir Liberation Zindabad’.
The larger section of Kashmiri Muslims kept their eyes shut, as the fanatics created a situation of torment and lawlessness, and the ‘dance’ of atrocities engulfed the valley. The fanatics transmitted extremely foul talks from the loudspeakers, threatening to kill or gangrape the women, if “Kafirs* failed to leave Kashmir valley.
Walls were painted and painted with posters threatening the Kashmiri Hindus to strictly abide by Islamic values and adopt their dress code.
Video Parlours and Cinema halls were considered non-Islamic and, hence were shut down. Kashmiri women were forced to remain behind the four walls of their homes and abide by the dress code permitted by Islam. Unknown and masked persons moved around the streets, forcing people to adjust their watch as per the Pakistan time!!! The shops, offices and other establishments were coloured Green illustrating the sign of Islamic law. The homes and temples of Kashmiri Pandits were burnt and razed.
Following the research of the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre of the Norwegian Refugee Council (IDMC), 3, 50, 621 Kashmiri Pandits have been displaced from the valley since the insurgency began.
Initially, there were only three districts in Kashmir valley. Anantnag, Baramulla and Srinagar. The Jammu region had Six districts. Three new districts were added through cabinet decisions in the valley. Pulwama, Kupwara and Bandipora were the newly carved districts. No new districts were created in the Jammu region, thus the animosity increased. This is the only time in the history of the state that the new districts were crafted through an administrative order and all the new districts were in the Kashmir Valley.
With the addition of new districts, Kashmir Valley came at par with the Jammu region. However, the people of Jammu were furious with this discrimination.
They opposed the move vociferously and put forward strong demands to create additional districts in their region.
Their persistence led the Government to appoint the J N Wazir Commission with the task of making recommendations for carving out more districts.
After a thorough study, the Wazir Commission recommended the creation of One additional district in Kashmir Valley and Three additional districts in the Jammu region, which would make Kashmir have Seven districts and Jammu Nine.
But the entire exercise bore no fruits. The political will to create just demarcation remained on paper.
From time and again, the agitation erupted by the people of Jammu and this issue would be raised. Eg. the Poonch agitation in 1979.
In 2002, the coalition government of Congress and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) was formed. The Common Minimum Programme (CMP) of the coalition government pledged to implement of Wazir Commission’s recommendations. In 2005, following the coalition terms, Ghulam Nabi Azad took charge as Chief Minister. The people of Jammu were very hopeful and anticipated the fulfilment of their decades-old promise.
To redeem his pledge, the Azad Government created eight new districts, four each in the Jammu region and Kashmir valley.
The Wazir Commission had recommended the creation of only one district in the valley but eventually, even the Azad Government did not eradicate the discriminating feelings from the hearts of Jammuites.
The feeling of the divide had penetrated so deeply within the three regions of the state, eg. Jammu, Kashmir Valley and Ladakh. Each one was distinctively different from one another. Ethnically, linguistically, culturally and religiously each region had their own identity.
Jammu has been multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, and multi-religious where the common language is Dogri (now included in the 8th schedule). With the huge migration of Kashmiri Pandits, the Kashmiri language is also widely used. Ladakh represents a completely different religious ethnicity. Buddhist Leh and Shia Muslim Kargil regions of Ladakh have completely varied cultural norms.
Jammu-Kashmir and Ladakh have been Ethno-Linguistic areas where Kishtwari, Poguli, Dogri, Kashmiri, Gojri, Ladakhi, Balti, Shina, Burshaski, Punjabi, Lahendra, Pothawari, Rambani, Bhadrewahi, Siranji, Gujri and Pahari language/dialects are spoken.
Each region of the state (now Union territories) had their distinctive language and the linguistic diversity shows that the Kashmiri language was spoken/used in Kashmir valley only. Even the various areas of the valley had several linguistic ethnicities such as Pahari and Gojri were the primary language whereas Kashmiri was spoken as the second language.
This illustrates that all three regions of the J&K had their distinguishing features. Yet, since the advent of Shaikh Abdullah’s leadership, the word ‘Kashmiriyat’ was coined to portray the expression of Kashmir valley, only. In its inclusiveness, the word should convey the identity of the entire states (eg. Jammu and Ladakh region too).
Jammu region covers a much larger area (26,293 kilometres) than the Kashmir valley (15,948 square kilometres). Area-wise, the 46 constituencies in Kashmir have little less than 348 square kilometres per constituency, while the 37 constituencies of Jammu have 710 square kilometres per constituency.
Taking the 2002 Assembly elections of J&K as a case study, the number of voters than in the Jammu region was 31,06,114 and in the Kashmir valley, it was 28, 84, 842. The Kashmir region with fewer voters – 31,06,114 (Jammu) – 28, 84, 842 (Kashmir valley) = 2,21,272, elected more (46 MLAs), whereas Jammu elected only 37.
Thus, the representation of the Jammu region, with a larger population, was lesser in the governance. The Kashmir valley with a smaller area and lesser population, possessed a powerful hold over the state machinary.
During 2008 assembly polls in Kashmir, were militancy-driven. Post 1990, militancy blew up into the face of the Bharatiya establishment.
Thousands and Lakhs of Kashmiri Pandits (KPs) rushed out of their ancestral homes in their motherland and migrated to various parts of the country. They feared for their and their loved one’s lives, as the armed cadres of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) led by Yasin Malik held sway.
The migrants KP’s have been residing in camps, for almost three decades.
Successive governments included the return of KPs in their agendas and manifestos but neither the National Conference (NC) nor the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) or Congress officially initiated their safe and secured return to their homeland. Generations passed by and the Kashmiri Pandit youth refrained from acquiring education as per their talent and suitable job opportunities. The KPs turned refugee in their own country.
Few states such as Maharashtra and Karnataka reserved quotas in professional academic institutions, especially for the KP youth.
Now, the Narendra Modi government is charting out several facilities for the comfortable return of the Pandits.
Tourism has been one of the major economic activities for the citizens of Jammu-Kashmir. The state is full of bounties of the nature.
With the outbreak of armed militancy in the valley, tourist traffic has been badly affected. The tourists have been preferring the neighbouring Himachal over J&K. The Jammu region, comparatively peaceful and as serene as the Kashmir valley could become the suitable option to the valley post-militant insurgencies. But, the tourism had never been developed so efficaciously in Jammu.
The rationing system in the J&K was the old one, since the time of Maharaja Hari Singh. In 1944, Sheikh Abdullah initiated an agitation against the Maharaja, for the issue of the food supply. Later, in 1952-53, he made controversial statements against consuming Bharatiya food grains.
Post the downfall of the Sheikh, his detractors began to supply the rice at an extremely cheap rate – i.e. 33 Paisa per Seir (900 grams)in the Kashmir valley.
The same rice was supplied to Jammuites at a higher rate and less scale.
The Ladakh region had been the victim of sheer discrimination, since the adoption of the Constitution of a ‘democratic’ government in the state.
To resolve the problem, in 1997-98, the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission, examined the recruitment of KAS and KPS officers. The examination was cleared by one Christian, three Muslims and twenty-three Buddhist candidates. Ironically, one Christian and three Muslim candidates, who cleared the exams were given the appointment letter but out of the twenty-three Buddhist candidates with clearance, only one was given the appointment!
Similarly, of the twenty-four Patwaris who were recruited in the state, there was only one Buddhist among them and the rest were Muslims. Similarly, in the recruitment under the fourth class category in the state education department, all the appointed barring one, were Muslims.
The region of Ladakh has been bestowed upon with immense picturesque surroundings and the state government has been planning to develop and popularize this spot as the hot tourist destination. Unfortunately, it shows the least inclination to preserve and promote the local Buddhist culture, Buddhist temples and heritage sites which are endangered as the result of infiltration. The disinterest of the state government to secure the important legacy is leading to its extinction.
Since the entire administrative control lay with authority in the Kashmir valley region, the existence of the Ladakhi language and culture was in danger. The Bhoti language of Ladakh has been very rich since time immemorial. Numerous highly significant Sanskrit texts which are unavailable in other parts of the country, have been preserved safely in the Bhoti language and its literature. The state government has implemented Urdu as the official language, and the Buddhist students have been compelled to move out of the state for further studies.
The height of injustice incurred towards the Ladakh region, was when the Buddhists of the region were denied permission to perform the last rites of their dead ones in the Muslim-dominated areas. They were required to take the dead body to the Buddhist-dominated areas to perform the last rites.
Ladakh is a region of extremely strategic importance as it shares a 1600 km-long Bharatiya border.
The most significant solution to its decades-long invidious problem is granting Ladakh, the status of Union Territory. The people of Ladakh had been demanding the UT status, for the longest time.
Eventually, under the Modi Government’s second tenure, this old wish has been fulfilled.
On the 5th of August 2019, along with the announcement of the Abrogation of Article 370 and Article 36 A, by the Home Minister Amit Shah ji, the region of Ladakh has. also been granted the status of a Union Territory.
Sources of Information :
हमारी भूलोका स्मारक: धर्मांतरित कश्मीर
नरेन्द्र सहगल
कश्मीर: दहकते अंगारे
जगमोहन जी
जम्मू कश्मीर की अनकही कहानियां
कुलदीप चंद अग्निहोत्री
Kashmir: Behind The Vale
M J Akbar
My Frozen Turbulence in Kashmir
Jagmohan ji
100 Documents
Kul Bhushan Mohtra
Jammu-Kashmir: Facts, Problems and Solutions
Ashutosh
Madhvi Bhuta is the National Executive of BJP Mahila Morcha and a Columnist on various Forums.
