He announced that if they chose to stay back, he would not be able to guarantee their safety. But that life of tranquility which they remember so fondly doesnt exist anymore in Kashmir. Hit lists of Pandits were in circulation. The Indian Express website has been rated GREEN for its credibility and trustworthiness by Newsguard, a global service that rates news sources for their journalistic standards. "There has been continuing lack of engagement by the government of India with the community. Threats from Islamist militants in the Valley forced around 70,000 Pandit families comprising over 350,000 women, men, and children to flee their homes in the weeks and months that followed. For impactful stories you just cant miss, By subscribing you agree to our Privacy Policy. [35] The government has reported on the terrorist threats to Pandits still living in the Kashmir region. [60] By 1950, their population declined to 5 per cent as many Pandits moved to other parts of India due to the uncompensated land redistribution policy, the unsettled nature of Kashmir's accession to India and the threat of economic and social decline. WebThe Kashmiri Pandits are divided into three subcastes: Guru/Bchabat (priests), Jotish (astrologers), and Krkun (who were historically mainly employed by the government). WebThe day marks the beginning of the genocide and ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Pandits on a mass scale that ultimately culminated in the complete exodus of the aboriginal Their numbers would swell in the following months. In addition, there are hundreds of families living in government tenements in Purkhoo on the outskirts of Jammu, in Nagrota and in Muthi. Matters came to a head on January 19. The revelation that a Chinese surveillance balloon entered the country's airspace earlier this month has been met with a curiously muted government response. The security situation along the India-Pakistan border remains of great concern. [48] Many Orders, Circulars and recommendations have been issued for relief of Kashmiri Pandits. A governor of this administration was ruling in Jammu and Kashmir. Log in to edit articles at Historical India. Approximately 2,17,000 Pandits still live in abysmal conditions in Jammu with families of five to six people often huddled into a small room. Kashmir was in ferment. A large number of Hindu houses were attacked, shops looted, and temples vandalised in Vanpoh, Anantnag, and Sopore, among others. A majority of the Pandit refugees still live in refugee camps with spiralling health and economic problems. At first Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), the founding leader of Jamat opposed direct involvement as it would destroy the organization and open it to Indian assault by security forces. Cries of hum wapas ayenge (we will return) rent the air and #HumWapasAayenge has been trending on social media in recent weeks. Sanjay Kumar, the father of three minor children who worked as a bank security guard, was shot dead in Achan Kaw has speculated that this item of jewellery may not have existed at the time. Many Pandits, especially the youth, feel little emotional or cultural connect to their Kashmiri heritage and homeland. Some scholars have suggested a higher figure of approximately 150,000 for PTI Vivek Agnihotris The Kashmir Files, a movie that delves into the 1990 exodus of lakhs of The Genocide of Kashmiri Hindus who are also called Kashmiri Pandits, was seventh ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Pandits by radical Islamists in Kashmir Valley. [20][21] It was during the 14th century that the Kashmiri Pandits likely split into their three subcastes: Guru/Bchabat (priests), Jotish (astrologers), and Krkun (who were historically mainly employed by the government). On that day, mosques issued declarations that the Kashmiri Pandits were Kafirs and that the males had to leave Kashmir, convert to Islam or be killed. The Kashmiri Muslim view of the exodus is that he encouraged the Pandits to leave the Valley and thus gave a communal colour to what was until then a non-religious Kashmiri cause. During the period of However, these offers have failed to elicit much of a response. In this exclusive interview, he recalls the events as they truly unfolded and not how they have been over dramatised and presented in the film The Kashmir Files which, he fears, aims As many as 36,289 (till December 30, 2003) lives have been lost. How the international community views the India-Pakistan dispute over Kashmir has changed as well. On May 12, a gunman walked into a government office in central Kashmirs Chadoora town. The first such killing of a Kashmiri Pandit leader set the tone of what was to follow. (Or if they're ordered by the regime to create intentional tension/chaos. BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on Saturday said it was not the then chief minister Farooq Abdullah, but the then prime minister VP Singh and his home minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, that were responsible for the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley. As chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhanwatched the film with his cabinet colleagues and the state BJPtop brass at a drive-in theatre in the state capital on Wednesday, Digvijaya tweeted, The exodus of Kashmiri Pandits occurred when Congress was in Opposition. Why this hindu escape from tthier.brith Places or home land. What is the reason Ifound..One is no unity of hindu socity..still and yesterday also.. What is the truth of the 1990s Kashmiri Pandit migration? Thirty years after they fled their homes in the Valley, an older generation of Kashmiri Pandits continue to yearn for the lives they led before the exodus. Indeed, Kashmiri Muslims have borne the brunt of the violence unleashed by Pakistan-backed militants and Indian security forces. The longing to return to the Valley did not diminish over the years, though it may have become more an idea than a real ambition. In exchange for Rubaiya, five JKLF associates were freed from jails. Gul Shah formed the government with support from the Congress at the state-level as well as the central. Get briefed on the story of the week, and developing stories to watch across the Asia-Pacific. WebThe Exodus of Kashmiri Hindus, or Pandits, is their early-1990 migration, or flight, from the Muslim-majority Kashmir valley in Indian-administered Kashmir following rising violence in an insurgency.Of a total Pandit population of 120,000140,000 some 90,000100,000 left the valley or felt compelled to leave, and about 30 were killed. Sanjay Kumar, the father of three minor children who worked as a bank security guard, was shot dead in Achan With tensions peaking, hundreds of Pandit families began their journey out of the Valley. Politician Mirwaiz Farooq of the All Jammu and Kashmir Awami Action Committee was shot dead by a militant of the Hizbul Mujahideen in 1990. A highly literate community, they were disproportionately represented in the Kashmir bureaucracy as well as in the teaching, legal, and medical professions, prompting resentment among other communities in the Valley, especially Muslims, who comprise over 95 percent of the population. Report, Trans-Pacific The Pandits have rejected rehabilitation proposals to Valley several times, indicating that they were not willing to become cannon-fodder for politicians who cannot guarantee their security. This led to huge disaffection and political instability. (Photo for representation) By Srishti Kaul: On 6th October, around 7 pm, I received back-to-back messages about the killing of Mr. Bindroo in Srinagar. A day after a Kashmiri Pandit's killing in Pulwama, the Bharatiya Janta Party on Monday held protests at several places in Kashmir. [16][17] Mohibbul Hasan describes this collapse as .mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}, The Dmaras (feudal chiefs) grew powerful, defied royal authority, and by their constant revolts plunged the country into confusion. Besides, a Pandit ghetto is sure to be targeted by Islamist radicals, she told The Diplomat. At the minimum level, these terms would include security to life and property and, at a broader level, a consensual rehabilitation scheme.[ref]. The exodus of people from Kashmir Valley began only after then Jammu and Kashmir governor Jagmohan asked them, especially Kashmiri Pandits and Sikhs, to leave, saying he would not be able to protect them, Chowdhury said in Lok Sabha while raising the issue during Zero Hour. Advertisement. In a contentious move in 1986, the government of then CM Ghulam Shah ordered the construction of a mosque, allegedly at the site of an ancient Hindu temple, at the Civil Secretariat in Jammu. Asia, Pacific Read | Kashmiri Pandits observe Holocaust Day to mark 30 years of mass exodus from Valley. In many cases, their properties were either immediately vandalised or sold quickly by the owners to Kashmiri Muslims. The LG administration and the central government are primarily concerned with addressing security problems. It is widely believed that the 1987 Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections were rigged to bring the Farooq Abdullah-National Conference government, which was supported by the Congress, back to power. They have announced resettlement packages promising financial support and jobs for those who returned. The Hindu minority in Muslim majority Kashmir shrank from an estimated 140,000 in the late 1980s to 19,865 by 1998. [64] Wanvun singing is an integral part of Kashmiri Pandit religious ceremonies. A Kashmiri Pandit fact-checks The Kashmir Files In an EXCLUSIVE interview to SabrangIndia's Karuna John, KPSS Chief Sanjay Tickoo recalls events as they truly unfolded and not as they have been depicted in the movie 22 Mar 2022 Neel Kanth Ganjoo, a retired judge who had sentenced Maqbool Bhat to death, was shot dead outside the J&K High Court in Srinagar on November 4. "Ralive-Tsalive-Ya Galive" is a famous rallying call from the time, translating to "convert-leave Kashmir-or perish.". The 1989 capitulation to the JKLF in the kidnapping of Mufti Sayeeds daughter set the stage for the next decade. WebGet latest News Information, Articles on Kashmiri Pandit Atm Guard Updated on July 26, 2022 14:19 with exclusive Pictures, photos & videos on Kashmiri Pandit Atm Guard at Latestly.com - Page 2 Without going into the complexities of power, politics, hatred, vendetta, agendas, and political priorities, I would like to opine that the governm Learn More. [27][28], In the 1981 census, the Kashmir Division had 124,078 Hindus, the majority of whom were Pandits. What happened in January 1990 is bitterly contested. JKLF targeted a Kashmiri Hindu for the first time on 14 September 1989, when they killed Tika Lal Taploo, a lawyer and a prominent leader of Bharatiya Janata Party in Jammu and Kashmir, in front of several eyewitnesses. Jammu and Kashmir being the only Muslim majority state in whole of India, the protection of minorities and their living peacefully, in their homeland, is crucial for India to remain as a Secular Democratic State. As the Kashmiri Pandits are enduring an uncertain and troubled time, let us take a look at their history and other important details. A large number settled in the Jammu Division of the State and the National Capital Region of India. [30] Other authors have suggested a higher figure for the exodus, ranging from the entire population of over 150,000,[31] to 190,000 of a total Pandit population of 200,000,[32] to a number as high as 800,000. Further, the film shows that Al-Safa carried a threat commanding Kashmiri Pandits to leave the Valley before the night of the exodus 'Al-Safa, Pandit dafa,' a child holding the newspaper recites in the movie. Sun worship is believed to have been brought into Kashmir by Kushan kings from Iran. Happy Editing! In a door-to-door mission, Hindu homes were attacked, families killed, and many women raped by militants. Most Popular. Instead, the notorious governor said that if the Pandits decided to leave, refugee camps had been set up for them and the departing civil servants would be continued to be paid their salaries. Agnihotri's rendition then suggests that this was among the factors that contributed to the exodus on 19 January, even though the threat was reported to have been published on 14 April, three months after the night of terror. Kashmiri journalist Gowhar Geelani notes in his work, Insulting Facts With Fiction to Suit One's Narrative, that on the request of some Kashmiri Muslims, senior Indian administrator Wajahat Habibullah, posted in Anantnag in 1990 as Special Commissioner, had appealed to Jagmohan to dissuade the Pandits from leaving the Valley. Since the abrogation of Article 370 tightens Indias control over the region, the decision was widely welcomed by the Pandit community. [54] Ikkjutt Jammu, a political party in Jammu and Kashmir, advocates for two Union Territories in Kashmir, one being Panun Kashmir for Kashmiri Hindus. The year 1984 also saw another crucial event that contributed significantly to the rise of separatist insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir: the hanging Maqbool Bhat, JKLF co-founder and a pioneer of the secessionist movement. A lot has changed since then but the more things change the more they remain the same. [19] The actions of Sultan Sikandar Butshikan (13891413), the seventh Muslim ruler in Kashmir were also significant to the area. A BJP-supported Janata Dal government was at the Centre at the time of the exodus in 1990. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Subscribe To Our Daily Newsletter And Get News Delivered Straight To Your Inbox. We will go back on our own terms," Kashmiri Samiti president Sunil Shakdher said in August 2002 in response to the then Farooq Abdullah regimes proposed rehabilitation agenda. 22 Mar 2022. Militancy was gathering momentum and anti-India sentiments were running strong. He was one of the first persons to help them after which Punjab also followed suit. [29], According to a number of authors, approximately 100,000 of the total Kashmiri Pandit population of 140,000 left the valley during the 1990s. Decision was widely welcomed by the government of India of great concern Kashmiri Muslims borne... Of what was to follow Hizbul Mujahideen in 1990 other important details resettlement packages promising financial support and for. National Capital region of India the Pandit community anymore in Kashmir the central government during kashmiri pandit exodus government are primarily concerned addressing! 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