Exodus Day: A reminder of why Kashmiri Pandits became refugees in their own land

New Delhi: A majority of Kashmiri Pandits believe that their persecution in Kashmir, which led to the forced mass exodus, would not have happened had there been strong governments at the Centre and the erstwhile state of J&K.

Often when governments ignore or turn a blind eye to the ground reality, the inevitable is bound to happen. History is replete with such examples. For what happened to Kashmiri Pandits in 1986, and then post 1988, a large share of the blame has to be apportioned to the then governments at the Centre and state.

This period is significant in the history of Kashmir, which, if the then governments had so intended, could have been different and not allowed to become a preparatory period for Pakistan-sponsored terrorism.

Had the then governments stepped in and sternly controlled a situation that was spinning out of control, Kashmir would not have fallen into a quagmire that ultimately led to the extreme terror onslaught on Kashmiri Pandits and all those who were perceived as 'pro-India' in the Valley.

The exodus of Kashmiri Pandits and other communities, and of the Muslims too, did not happen overnight. January 19 is observed as the day of mass exodus by the Kashmiri Pandits.

It is not that on this day mass migration took place, but the day is a symbol of the pain of having faced the worst violence and an equally apathetic system that failed to safeguard them and give them justice.

The minority experienced the first mass attack in February 1986 in south Kashmir.

Known as the Anantnag riots, the eruption saw Muslim mobs plundering and destroying the properties and temples of Kashmiri Pandits.

Ghulam Mohammad Shah, the brother-in-law of Farooq Abdullah, was the then chief minister propped up by late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and then supported by her son and successor, Rajiv Gandhi.

Shah failed to curb the violence and had to seek Army help after the police failed to control the situation. He was dismissed soon by the then Governor Jagmohan.

There was hardly any probe or arrests after the Anantnag riots.

A stunned Kashmiri Pandit community could not find anyone to hear their voice. It only transpired later that perhaps 1986 was a prelude to a bigger conspiracy against them.

After he struck an accord with the Rajiv Gandhi government, Farooq Abdullah was made the Chief Minister of the then state and he remained in the position from November 7, 1986 to January 18, 1990.

It was this period that saw Kashmir gradually falling down the precipice, and despite warnings by intelligence agencies, the peaks of indifference seemed insurmountable.

Intelligence agencies had repeatedly been alerting the government about the hordes of Kashmiris, especially young people, crossing over to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) for arms training, but they went largely unheard.

A number of kidnappings were taking place, especially of government employees, and the maximum number of them were Kashmiri Pandits, yet no action was taken.

Threats were openly given out in local newspapers, posters were pasted to amplify this message of hate and hit-lists made

but the administration seemed lifeless.

Then Governor Jagmohan had mentioned the situation to Rajiv Gandhi in letters: "Need I remind you that from the beginning of 1988, I had started sending 'Warning Signals' to you about the gathering storm in Kashmir? But you and the power wielders around you had neither the time, nor the inclination, nor the vision, to see these signals. They were so clear, so pointed, that to ignore them was to commit sins of true historical proportions."

His fears came true and the minorities and moderates had to bear the brunt.

The police had been compromised. There was no one to take complaints and it was said that many policemen were actually helping terrorists carry out targeted killings and kidnappings.

The administration had simply vanished and political will – both at the Centre and state – was missing.

Kidnappings, torture and killings had become the order of the day. There was no one to help the community or those who were seen as pro-India.

The situation further worsened after the National Front government under V.P. Singh (December 2, 1989 to November 10, 1990) came to power at the Centre.

Mufti Mohammad Sayeed became the Union Home Minister and Farooq Abdullah was heading the government in J&K.

The Home Minister's daughter, Rubiya Sayeed, was kidnapped by the terrorist oufit JKLF, and till date, it is not clear how she was abducted. However, it forced the then government to release some dreaded militants.

Open threats to Kashmiri Pandits were issued in local Urdu newspapers.

Warning letters were pasted on the walls of houses owned by the minority community.

The message was clear – leave, or join the so-called separatist movement.

It was the absence of governance and the lack of will on the political and police fronts that contributed largely to the terrorist violence against the minorities in the valley.

Ramesh Raina, president of the All India Kashmiri Samaj (AIKS), says: "This 1986-1989 period is significant in the history of Kashmir but it is often ignored. The exodus did not happen overnight. There was a full preparation for this. Abudllah was incompetent and he did not have any control, or you can say he was totally involved, knew everything and let things build up."

Panun Kashmir leader Ramesh Manvati said: "Farooq Abdullah, as a tacit supporter of the happenings on the ground, was busy playing golf and giving joy rides to Bollywood heroines, before finally choosing to run away to London when Kashmir was burning and a full-blown genocide of the Pandits was taking place."

Former Director General of Police of Jammu and Kashmir Shesh Paul Vaid has said on a tweet on X: "Many people in the country do not know this #KashmirFiles fact: The first batch of ISI-trained terrorists were arrested by the J&K Police, but ill-thought out political decisions had them released and the same terrorists later on led the many terrorist organisations in J&K."

Vaid was the DGP of J&K from December 31, 2016 to September 6, 2018.

He also added in his tweet: "Some of the notorious names: Mohammed Afzal Sheikh of Trehgam, Rafiq Ahmed Ahangar, Mohammad Ayub, Najar Farooq, Ahmed Ganai, Ghulam Mohammed, Gujri Farooq, Ahmed Malik, Nazir Ahmed and Sheikh Ghulam Mohi-Ud-Din Teli. Could this have been possible w/o the knowledge of the Union Govt of 1989?"

Surinder Kaul, chief of the Global Kashmiri Pandit Diaspora, says: "After the exodus, I remember one meeting we had with the then Home Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed in 1990. He had no answers to our questions. We asked him, 'Why have the local police and intelligence network just vanished. Why was no one doing their work? Why was there no security?' But he just kept mum. That day I realised that the State and Central power systems of our country had collapsed and no one was there to help us."

Had governments and the system acted as per the law and the Constitution, had there been a political will, Kashmiri Pandits would not have been uprooted and thousands would not have lost their lives.