This list included the Kashmiri Pandits, the Nagar Brahmins from Gujarat; the South Indian Brahmins; the Punjabi Khatris, and Kayasthas from northern India; Chitpawans and CKPs (Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhus) from Maharashtra; the Probasi and the Bhadralok Bengalis; the Parsis and the upper crusts of Muslim and Christian communities. [15], A historically contested region, Northern India was subject to attack from Turkic and Arab regimes from the eighth century onwards, but they generally ignored the mountain-circled Kashmir Valley in favour of easier pickings elsewhere. That night, the politically-disturbed Valley reverberated with war cries, communal calls, and threats to Pandits. Many Pandits celebrated the Indian government move as they believe it will pave the way for their return to the Valley. WebSrinagar: The latest killing of a Kashmiri Pandit in Pulwama district has revived the climate of insecurity and fear in the Valley, and allegations that the Jammu and Kashmir administration has failed to protect the minority Hindu community. Without going into the complexities of power, politics, hatred, vendetta, agendas, and political priorities, I would like to opine that the governm Advertisement. Today, Tickoo says there are fewer than 3,400 Pandits in Kashmir. In order to get out of blame, Chief Minister Farookh Abdullah and Mufti Mohammad Sayeed convinced Prime Minister V.P. Hit lists of Pandits were in circulation. However, respect for the Pandits (many of whom were teachers) and a shared Kashmiri identity that held Pandits and Muslims together prevented differences from erupting into conflict. 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. Governor Jagmohan is criticised for not guaranteeing the safety of Kashmiri Pandits fleeing the Valley and for not stopping them with assurance of security. [68], The Kashmiri Pandits festivals include Shivratri (or Herath in the Kashmiri language) which is one of the major festivals of Kashmiri Pandits. Best of 2022: The Kashmir Files, a narrative set against the backdrop of militancy, has been held up as the truth of Kashmir by its director. The security situation along the India-Pakistan border remains of great concern. Habibullah denied this and told them that the Pandits could hardly be expected to stay when every mosque was blaring threats and members of their community had been murdered. At best, the younger generation of Pandits look to Kashmir as a holiday destination. Just $5 a month. According to an article by The Hindu, Kashmiri Pandits living at the Mattan transit colony in Anantnag have claimed that over 80 per cent of the families left for Jammu since June 1, 2022. 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. He respected the learning of these Pandits, to whom he gave land as well as encouraging those who had left to return. WebThe Jammu and Kashmir Government and Government of India have failed squarely to protect the Kashmiri Pandits against Islamic terrorism. People of india indian govt just stood watching kps haunted down killed and forced into exile. It were saffron communals people like RSS VHP BAJRAN Following the communal riots, Governor Jagmohan dismissed the Gul Shah government; Farooq Abdullah was subsequently re-installed as chief minister. "At that time, Rath Yatra of Lal Krishna Advani ji began and (Narendra) Modi ji, our (current) Prime Minister, became event manger of this yatra," he charged. The two events the flight of the Pandits and the Gawkadal massacre took place within 48 hours, but for years, neither community could accept the pain of the other, and in some ways, still cannot, as each continues to talk past the other. A lot has changed since then but the more things change the more they remain the same. [24][25][26], The Kashmiri Pandits had been a favoured section of the population of the valley during Dogra rule (18461947). (Or if they're ordered by the regime to create intentional tension/chaos. What is a whip in a state Assembly or Parliament? In 2020, Kashmiri became an official language in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir for the first time.. Kashmiri is closely related to Poguli and Kishtwari, which are spoken in the What do we know about him? [9][60] "Ralive-Tsalive-Ya Galive" is a famous rallying call from the time, translating to "convert-leave Kashmir-or perish.". 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. Besides being the right thing to do, apologies bring diplomatic and political gains in a region haunted by colonial and imperial atrocities. Because the truth is worth it.). As per the estimates, 650 Pandits were killed during this time. The crimes committed against the Kashmiri Pandits are, by any yardstick, deserving of the strongest condemnation and there can be no gainsaying the acute Consequently, riots broke out in Jammu and Kashmir. 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. [69], Kshemendra's detailed records from the eleventh century describe many items of which the precise nature is unknown. Pandits were given a choice: convert to Islam, leave the Valley, or perish. Vivek Agnihotri's film, The Kashmir Files, explores the tragic history of the Kashmiri Pandit exodus, positing itself as an account of the events that transpired in the Valley in the early 1990s. View, About In the decades since the Pandit exodus, Kashmir has seen immense bloodshed. An estimated 100,000 Kashmiri Pandits have reportedly fled the Valley. The migrants included some Pandits, although it is possible that some of this community relocated for economic reasons as much as to escape the new rulers. For instance, it suggests that a threat asking Kashmiri Pandits to leave the Valley was issued in Al-Safa before the exodus, thereby contributing to the forced migration. [38][39][40], In 2009 the Oregon Legislative Assembly passed a resolution to recognise 14 September 2007, as Martyrs Day to acknowledge ethnic cleansing and campaigns of terror inflicted on non-Muslim minorities of Jammu and Kashmir by terrorists seeking to establish an Islamic state. They blame the then-Jammu and Kashmir governor, Jagmohan, for the Pandit exodus. The fleeing Pandits did not think they would never return to the Valley. It is 30 years since the exodus from the Valley of its minority Hindu Kashmiri Pandit community. Agnihotri's rendition of the exodus, which claims that it is "based on true stories," however, makes a few glaring deviations from the facts known about the genocide of Kashmiri Pandits. [27][28], In the 1981 census, the Kashmir Division had 124,078 Hindus, the majority of whom were Pandits. The Kashmiri Hindu view is that this is a disingenuous interpretation. Report, Trans-Pacific 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. What did the government of India do when Kashmiri Pundits were driven away from their homes in Kashmir? Why didt they prevent it? Because they did [55], According to the 1941 census, there were 78,800 Kashmiri Pandits in the Kashmir Valley. Wherever they live, their memories of events in 1989-90 remain vivid as are their rather idyllic recollections of their lives before their flight from the Valley. [58] and the Anantnag district, where they were 7.84 percent of the population. [28], They began to leave in much greater numbers in the 1990s during the eruption of militancy, following persecution and threats by radical Islamists and militants. Short answer: Because of carelessness, lack of courage/desire and vote-bank politics of State and Central government. Long Answer: To know the reas 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. for Us, opposition to such Pandit-only settlements. The KPSS has placed the number of Kashmiri Pandits killed by militants from 1990 to 2011 at 399, the majority during 1989-90. 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. Leaders of Jammu and Kashmir knew earlier what was going to happen within few weeks. The Pakistani military and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) are said to have provided weapons, training, and logistical support to the JKLF. As many as 75,343 Kashmiri Pandits are estimated to have fled in January 1990, with about 70,000 more following till March, as per the Kashmiri Pandit Sangharsh Samiti. [11][12] Prompted by the growth of Islamic militancy in the valley, large numbers left in the exodus of the 1990s. In late 1989, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Jia Lal Taploo and a retired judge, Neelkanth Ganjoo, were assassinated. Even today 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. [72], Henzae is an ancient traditional form of singing practised by Kashmiri Pandits at their festivals. Several moved to other cities in India and abroad, where they have done well professionally. WebBoth BJP and Congress enjoyed the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits because 1) they never cared about people 2) it was actually helping them to secure their vote bank. [ref][ref][ref] Events were also held at Jagti and Muthi migrant camps. [59], Scholar Christopher Snedden states that the Pandits made up about 6 per cent of the Kashmir Valley's population in 1947. A lot has changed since then but the more things change the more they remain the same. 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