By Varad Sharma
From their forced exile in 1990 till today, Kashmir’s Pandits continue to suffer persecution in their own homeland.
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out –
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out –
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out –
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me – and there was no one left to speak for me.
Pastor Martin Niemöller’s words on German intellectuals who didn’t raise their voice against Nazis are pertinent for Indian intelligentsia when it comes to the issue of ethnic cleansing and persecution of minority Hindu community of Kashmir, known as Kashmiri Pandits. There has not been enough clamor for bringing to justice the perpetrators of the 1990 mass exodus of Pandits from Kashmir.
The mass exodus
Kashmir is a seat of intellect and knowledge with a recorded history of 5,000 years. It forms part of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), which is the only Indian state with a Muslim majority population and Hindus in the minority. Pakistan also claims the state, which it views as unfinished business leftover from India’s partition (even though the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir acceded to India on October 26, 1947 when its ruler, Maharaja Hari Singh, signed the Instrument of Accession with the Union of India).
In 1989-1990, thousands of Kashmiri Muslims, backed by Pakistan, rose against the Indian state with the aim of seceding J&K from the Union of India. The idea was to create an Islamic state of Jammu and Kashmir; a valley homogenous in its religious (read: Islamic) character.
The Hindu Pandits of Kashmir became the first target of the insurgency. There were viewed as living symbols, representing India in Kashmir. In order to spread fear among the Pandit community and oust them from Kashmir, the militants started targeting prominent Kashmiri Pandits in 1989. The first killing happened on September 14, 1989 when Tika Lal Taploo, a lawyer and the vice-president of the J&K state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was shot dead in Srinagar.
On the night of January 19, 1990, Kashmir resonated with anti-India and anti-Pandit slogans: “Oh merciless, oh infidels, leave our Kashmir”; “If you want to stay in Kashmir, you have to say Allahu Akbar”; “We want Pakistan, along with Pandit women but not their men.” Mosques became planning centers for terrorist activities in Kashmir. Violent clashes between local protestors seeking freedom from India and security forces became the norm. The law and order situation in Kashmir collapsed; kidnappings, killings, and rapes became routine.
Terrorist organizations like the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) and Hizb-ul Mujahideen issued open threats to Kashmiri Pandits. They were given three choices – convert to Islam, leave Kashmir, or perish. Left with no choice, the minority Kashmiri Pandits fled the valley, leaving behind their homes to save themselves from persecution. Half a million Pandits were displaced, marking the largest-ever exodus of people since India’s partition in 1947. By the end of 1990, all of Kashmir was almost cleansed of Pandits.
Read the full story at The Diplomat