New Delhi: Even as Jammu and Kashmir staggers towards normalcy after the abrogation of Article 370 in the region, we also come close to marking 30 years of the mass exodus of Kashmiri pandits from Jammu and Kashmir. On January 19, 1990, Kashmiri pandits had to flee their homes in the face of threats and violence that they were being subjected to by the Muslim fanatics.
As per the recorded accounts of the Kashmiri pandits who left Jammu and Kashmir, the Islamists had a very specific message for the Sikhs and Hindus. A message which said, "Ralive, Tsaliv ya Galive (either convert to Islam, leave the land, or die)."
While there was no official count of the Kashmiri pandits who fled the land during the 1990s, according to different estimates, 5 to 7 lakh Kashmiri Pandits left their homes. The displaced Kashmiri pandits were left with no choice than to leave their homes and move to other parts of India, particularly to the refugee camps in Jammu region of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
As per a documentary produced by Creative Hindu Alliance and Mohan Wanchoo, testimonies of Kashmiri Pandits who left Kashmir and are now settled in America talk about the horrors they faced in Jammu and Kashmir during that phase. Aditya Bakaya speaks about how terrorists shed blood under the guise of demonstrations by Muslim women and stones were handed to small children as young as 6-7 years.
"The kind of freedom slogans that are being chanted on the streets of India today are similar to the ones chanted 30 years ago on the streets of Kashmir. Slogans were raised to make Kashmir according to the rule of Prophet Mohammad. Also, Pakistan's currency was being distributed among the Kashmiri Muslims and they were being asked to follow the standard time of Pakistan," he said.
People like Virender Haque, Neerja Sadhu, Shashi Tikoo Ganju, and Neerja Haku are some Kashmiri Pandits who have seen this phase very closely and have suffered the pain of leaving their homes and city. It was revealed that in 1990, preparations were made to make Kashmir slaughter of Hindus. Pakistan TV channels were played in Kashmir at those times. These channels use to run propaganda against Hindus. Now, these Pakistani channels are completely banned in Kashmir.
These claims have been made by Kashmiris who used to live in the region in the 1990s and are recounting the atrocities they saw or faced, Zee News does not claim these to be facts.
