It was the sad, very unfortunate as well tragic day rather the night of 19th January 1990 that loudspeakers fitted with the mosques in Kashmir particularly in summer capital of the then state of Jammu and Kashmir-Srinagar roared with the threatening calls which terrorized Kashmiri Pandts and forced them to leave the valley or face the serious consequences. That was a very sad and killing experience for the miniscule Kashmiri Pandits which forced them to leave Kashmir and became refugees in their own country for the only reason of being staunch Indian’s. The state administrative apparatus was non-existent rather it which was mostly comprised by the majority Muslim community almost compromised and this led to the mass migration of the Kashmiri Pandits from their native land. It was exactly 35 year on the fateful night of January 19,1990 that these people were threatened, warned and asked to leave valley and so the unfortunate exodus occurred in the democratic and so called Bharat. So 19th January is annually observed as the Kashmiri Pandit holocaust day in Jammu, India and by the Kashmiri Pandits scattered all over the globe and even some democratic countries and human right organizations observe 19th January as KP’s holocaust day.Kashmiri pundits were horrified and terrified by the calls of Alha Ho Akbar ,Nizame Mustfa, and warnings to Kashmiri Pandits to leave the valley. As if it was not enough, there further were calls of Cheliv ,Raliv & Galiv that meant leave ,be converted or face death ,and Asi Banaovow Pakistan Batave Rus Ti Batnav San-which translates as we will make Pakistan without Kashmiri Pandits and with Kashmiri Pandit women and other very objectionable slogans.
Many Kashmiri Pandit leaders and extra-ordinary men and government officers were killed with sadistic pleasure before 1990 that is in year 1989 which included KP and BJP leader Shri Tika Lal Taploo, Prem Nath Bhat ,Juge Nilkanth Gangoo to name a few and the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits reached its zenith in January 1990 and afterwards due to the threats and warnings from the loudspeakers fitted with the mosques and all this negative propaganda forced the Kashmiri Pandits to fled Kashmir for the safety and security to their lives and for securing the honor of their girls and other women flock. Had they remain in Kashmir in those radicalized and communalized and surcharged atmosphere, hundreds of the Kashmiri Pandits would have been brutally killed by the Pak sponsored armed marauders. In 1990 and specifically after in January of that year ,the Kashmiri Pandits were living in most difficult and trying circumstances and they took the right decision of leaving their homes and heaths under total threat to their life ,dignity and honor of their women flock and thus the major killings which would had been enemas killings were averted by the conscious but most involuntary decision of leaving Kashmir. Even the Muslim neighbors also showed their inability to protect and stand by their Kashmir Pandit neighbors in the time of their difficulty and insecurity as well as threat to their lives. So how could have they stayed put in Kashmir. The only silver lining was that Governor Jagmohan and he too could not have safeguarded the horrified Kashmiri Hindus as the whole of then state administration was passively watching the threat calls ,warnings ,pasting of the threat letters outside the houses of the Kashmiri Pandits. But it was a bit relief that Kashmiri Pandits at the peak of militancy after January 1990 were not forced to stay put in Kashmir.
In the rural areas of the whole Kashmir where KP’s were living in scattered locations,there were big rallies of the people from majority Muslim community raising the religious as well as extremist slogans and this was enough to have terrorize and horrified the minority Kashmiri Pandits and which forced them to take the most involuntary and painful decision of leaving Kashmir and taking refuge in most unfavorable climatic environment. Now 34 years of the displacement of the Kashmiri Pandits have taken place and the inner desire and yearning of returning to their homeland Kashmir is growing intense and ever stronger with each passing day. It is the highest of injustice and worst kind of human right violations of the Kashmiri Pandits that they left all movable as well as immovable properties accumulated by their forefathers and handed it down to them has been left in the valley which either has been usurped as distress sales and some properties stand occupied by the people of the majority community and the administration being a mute spectator to all this illegal possession of the displaced Landed and other properties. It is very unfortunate that successive centre and state governments and later the UT government has failed to ensure the safe and dignified return and resettlement of the aborigines of Kashmir in the land of their birth. Modi government also promised the return and rehabilitation of the displaced Kashmiri Pandits in Kashmir but without any policy in this direction. With the result the Kashmiri Pandits are continuing to live refugees in their own country. They are living in an alien environment and climatic conditions with which they are not acclimatized. The displaced Kashmiri Pandits are rotting in their colonies such as Jagti, Purkhu and in their houses at other places in Jammu and all over the country and there seem to be no chances of their going back to their roots in Kashmir. The KP’s have heard much rhetoric of different political parties that Kashmir is incomplete without Kashmiri Pandits and the KP’s are the part and parcel of the Kashmiri society only for political consumption and in reality no efforts are ever made to translate the promises of their return and rehabilitation to Kashmir.
It seemed that KP’s are destined to live as refugees for many more years. The KP’s yearn to return to Kashmir but neither the centre government nor the UT government of J &K nor the majority community that is KMS are providing any helping hand to the displaced KP’s in distress and so they are living involuntary outside their homes and heaths and are cut off from their roots and culture and language. There is imminent threat to their extinction and identity. How long will the KP’s continue to live the life of refugees in their own country? The centre government, UT government of J&K, KM’s, KP’s themselves should take the initiative of returning to Kashmir and great responsibility for the return and rehabilitation rests on the shoulders of the KM’s who should play their pivotal role in this direction and make the reverse migration to Kashmir of the KP’s a reality in near future. Various KP organizations have observed the black day which is genuinely a holocaust day at various displaced settlements. Paunn Kashmir ,ASKPC,KPS Amphalla, Nou Soun Front AIKS , BJP Displaced District and other KP organizations have observed the holocaust day on 19th January 2025 and reiterated their demand for homeland/Kashap Land / resettlement and rehabilitation at few concentrated locations in Kashmir where they can live with dignity, security and where there will be full constitutional guaranteed for the Kashmiri Pandits so settled. Till their return and dignified rehabilitation in Kashmir, the displaced KP’s that is the small chunk of them should be paid enhanced relief and they should not be harassed unnecessarily under one pretext or the other. The longing to return to their land of birth is becoming intense with the each passing day and it is hoped that in near future displaced, uprooted and dispossessed KP’s will return to valley with security and honor.
Once of their return to Kashmir besides the government also rests on the shoulders of the KM’s as it is they who can guarantee their safety, security and dignity now in the changed circumstances ,as the militancy has been contained to some extent. Rest 19 January 1990 was a black spot on the history of Kashmir and Kashmiri Pandits and on this date every year a KP irrespective of where he temporarily resides is revisited of the black and dark day of the holocaust and resolve to return and rehabilitate to their native place. Jai Hind,Jai Panun Kashmir & Jai Dugger as it is later who embraced KP’s in their soil.
(Writer:- Vivek Koul and Co-Writer:- Omkar Dattatray)
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