Kashmiri Pandits Observing their 36th Holocaust Day.
January 19th 2025 marks the 36th Holocaust day of more than seven Lakh Kashmiri Pandits as their genocide and ethnic cleansing took place during the period of 1989-90 when they were forced to leave their homes and hearths between January to March in 1990 from Kashmir under the atmosphere of the terrorism and sympathizers of Pakistan Sponsored Violence that was at its peak. This micro minority community fell victim to this terrorism, Mass target killings with many massacres & threat letters by terrorists and their sympathizers that ultimately led to their forceful exodus. Holocaust Day is being recalled as the tragic events of their genocide and ethnic cleaning as they still continue to grapple with survival , identity issues and existential concerns despite passing more than 34 years in an exile life in migrant camps and non camps in Udhampur, Jammu, Delhi and many parts of India.
The forced extermination of Kashmiri Pandits from Kashmir Valley led Kashmiri Pandits to an unwanted dispersal and face hard questions relating to their survival issues of identity and existential concerns. They have lost much of their hope in all these years regarding their re-settlement back in kashmir valley, their eyes remain fixed on Kashmir all the time, their soul and un-seen voice always keep them alive to maintain dreaming about their cherished homeland in Kashmir.
It is matter of great agony and concern that leaders of all hues, thinkers of many shades and top officials of the Government have always been using these phrases quite often like"Kashmir is incomplete without Kashmiri Pandits" but the matter of the fact is that they have never seriously or honestly raised any strong concrete voice for their re-settlement back in the valley at any highest Government Forum in power corridors in Delhi nor they could formulate any comprehensive rehabilitation policy for the re-settlement of more than seven lakh Kashmiri Pandits back in their homes and hearths in Kashmir despite passing more than thirty four years in exile braving all the hardships and discomforts which is the longest exile period in the history of India. This is also the darkest era in terms of restoring back the decades old lost secularism in paradise back to its pristine glory.
I am trying to highlight the pain, agony and discomfort that this community suffered in these thirty four years in exodus on their 36th Holocaust day as every one wants permanent solace to be provided to thi patriotic and Nationalist community from the Government because they became the natural victim of extremism which was not sudden there but it had a long history that flourished due to absence to any responsible response to extremism and radicalism by the then Governments at the helm of affairs.
It needs to be made amply clear that in Kashmir all the Governments at the center right from 1947 to 1989-90 badly failed to gauge the situation here particularly with regard to Kashmiri Pandits, the indigenous people and the successive Governments ignored the alarming massages about the indefinite future of the minority community in the valley. The then Governments both at Center and State ignored the plight of Kashmiri Pandit community and perused a policy of no policy about them, always and ever.
It is very unfortunate & big irony that after their forced mass exodus in 1990 from Valley, their exodus was officially declared as "Migration" but not as a true Genocide which is still a big demand of Kashmiri Pandits. It is important to mention here that the Supreme Court of India in its recent decision/judgment on Article 370 also dwelt up on the issue of displacement of Kashmiri Pandits & there are many such instances when a number of High Courts of the county made important observations about the forceful exodus of Kashmiri Pandits and often made serious observations like the migration of Kashmiri Pandits was unparalleled and can not be compared with any other migration. The Delhi High Court called the displacement of Kashmiri Pandits as "Ethnic Cleansing".The Amnesty International, Global Human Rights defense and many human Right bodies also said often about the mass exodus and human right violation of Kashmir Pandits as well raised the issue of their deplorable condition in exodus. But it is very unfortunate and history now that despite many observations passed by the countless prestigious institutions about them for last more than 34 years, Kashmiri Pandits are not taken to any logical conclusion by the powers that remained and are at the helm of affairs.
The eyes of Kashmir Pandits are still fixed on Kashmir, their ancestral historical habitat having ten thousand years old culture and civilization & expect that Present NDA Government led by Prime Minister Shri Narender Modi who has both intent and capability to get their permanent rehabilitation done with honor and dignity back in their native places in Kashmir.
Why Kashmiri Pandits commemorate Holocaust Day ?
Holocaust Day is being observed every year on 19th January and this year also Kashmiri Pandits are commemorating 35th Holocaust day on 19th January, 2025 as this was the fateful day in 1990 that witnessed the final assault on Kashmiri Pandits and during the cold days of January 1990 in the midnight threatenings, defamatory, disgusting, derogatory announcements were made from the mosques on the loud speakers urging people to come on the streets and entire valley reverberated with extremely provocative Islamic slogans with well directed massages for Hindus in Kashmir " Either Convert to Islam or Leave the valley or get Killed (Raliv, Tslaiv ya Galiv). This all was not something spontaneous but was all well planned over the last many years and eventually was executed with surgical precision . This disastrous thing struck on the peaceful Patriotic & intellectual Hindu community globally famous on the cold and dark night of January of 19 in 1990 that Steered into a macabre of dance death, devastation and destruction.This was really the night when worst nightmares of Kashmiri Hindus became a reality & community still shudders to remember over after 3 decades of being in forced exile.The primary target of Islamic fundamentalism & Terrorism were the stalwarts of the Kashmiri Hindu community. which started with the daylight killing of Sh. Tikka Lal Taploo, a well known advocate by profession, an intellectual, social worker and a philanthropist, Pandit Prem Nath Nath advocate and a tall Kashmiri Pandit leader & many other countless innocent Kashmiri Pandits followed many kidnapping and rape cases. Eventually it became crystal clear to Kashmiri Pandits that to protect their lives, honour and dignity, religion and Patriotism , they have to leave the valley and in this way Lakhs of Kashmiri Pandits had to leave their homes and hearths amidst derogatory Jihadi sermons, revolutionary songs, sloganeering, stone pelting on Hindu houses/temples/Shrines and burning houses, properties open threatening advertisements, pasting hit list of the Hindus to be killed outside their houses and cold blooded countless killings of Hindus and asking menfolk to leave valley without the Hindu women finally led to the unfortunate and historic 7th Exodus of the Kashmiri Pandits. Therefore Kashmiri Pandits were forced to leave behind their possessions, houses, properties worth crores, domestic animals in order to live their life with honour and dignity and became refugees in their own country and migrated to Udhampur , Jammu, Delhi and other parts of the India. The first year of their migration so so difficult time for them to survive in extreme heat and weather conditions in semi enclosed Tent accommodations on meager resources. Many young students and elderly people suffered the worst and hundreds died due to heat stroke and snake bites in the tented accommodation created at inhabitable areas in Jammu & Udhampur soon after their migration in 1990.
Conclusion :
This year also Holocaust day is observed on high level on coming 19th January 2025 and on this sad occasion, Kashmiri Pandit community remembers & pays rich tributes to their martyrs who laid down their lives for the cause of the country during militancy period and express deep solidarity with the bereaved families. This holocaust day is also the day to remember that darkest day when the whole of Kashmiri Hindu community was wiped out forcefully at gun point from their ten thousand years old roots in Kashmir and feels the pain and agony of that darkest era. The entire community pledges on this day that Kashmir is their Homeland and Kashmiri Pandits in the real sense are Kashmir as Kashmir culturally, spiritually, geographically, religiously belongs to them, the original inhabitants. It is believed every time by them that it is just a matter of time when their homeland will be enriched by them and they will restore its past glory with a united resolve.
Read more about the plight of Kashmiri Pandits 👇👇
- kashmiri-pandits-in-search-of-permanent
- kashmiri-pandits-re-settlement-now-a-distant-dream
- J&K-Migrant-Property-Act,1997-J&K-seeks-Justice.
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