Kashmiri Exodus: Significance of the day 19th January

The 'holocaust day' was marked by Kashmiri Pandits on January 19 to commemorate the evacuation of their community members from the Valley in 1990 as a result of threats and deaths by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists. The day of 19th January marks the start of a major genocide and ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Pandits, which resulted in the entire evacuation of the aboriginal indigenous peoples, who represented a civilisation that dated back over 5,000 years. In 1989, Kashmir saw the start of an unparalleled insurgency. Dissatisfaction with the Indian administration had been festering for a long time, and a fraudulent assembly election in 1987 triggered a storm of protests. The Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), which had political rather than religious goals at the time, led the secessionist movement but did not avoid violence. The great majority of Kashmiri Hindus departed the valley in a mass exodus in the early 1990s.

Between July and December 1989, Farooq Abdullah, the then-chief minister of J&K, authorised the liberation of roughly 70 terrorists. They were recruited in terrorist camps in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir. Hamid Sheikh, Ashfaq Wani, Javed Mir, and Yasin Malik were the top four. They were instrumental in fomenting rebellion and fostering an anti-Hindu climate in the Valley, leading to the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus. The Jamaat-e- Islami's funded and run madrasas also contributed to the radicalization of the Valley's young children.

By the end of 1989, the demand for the establishment of an Islamic empire in Kashmir and its separation from India had reached its acme. On the evening of January 19, 1990, pro-Pakistan sloganeering began in the Valley's mosques, and crowds began to gather. Hindus were asked to either convert to Islam and join the separatists, or leave their homes, according to posters.

Thousands of Hindus fled in the middle of the night. According to a report more than 90% of Hindus in the Valley had abandoned their houses by March 1990. They were living in deplorable conditions in camps in Jammu, hoping to return home, but their hopes faded over time, and a considerable number of them were forced to relocate to other regions of the country. Meanwhile, the majority of Hindu homes in the Valley were burned down, and whatever was remained of their transportable property was plundered. The 19th of January is remembered as one of the darkest days in India's post-independence history.

Following the departure, militancy in Kashmir has intensified. Following the departure, militants targeted the properties of Kashmiri Hindus. Hindus in Kashmir are still fighting for their right to return to the valley, and many of them live as refugees. After the situation improved, the exiled population intended to return. The majority have not done so since the situation in the Valley is still dangerous, and they are afraid of being killed. After the departure, the majority of them lost their homes, and many are unable to sell them. Their position as displaced persons has damaged them in the educational arena. Many Hindu families were unable to send their children to prestigious public schools. Moreover, many Hindus endured institutional prejudice from state administrators who were mostly Muslim. It became more difficult for Hindu children to acquire education as a result of the poor ad hoc schools and institutions established in refugee camps. They also struggled in further education, as they were unable to gain entrance to Jammu University's postgraduate courses, and getting into Kashmir Valley institutes was impossible. The Indian government has taken up the issue of displaced Kashmiri kids' education, assisting them in gaining admission to various Kendriya Vidyalayas and major educational institutions and universities across the country.

The Indian government has attempted to restore Hindus, and separatists have also extended an invitation to Hindus to return to Kashmir. Some see the now-abrogated Article 370 as a hurdle to Kashmiri Hindu resettlement because the state's constitution prohibits persons living in India outside of Jammu and Kashmir from freely settling in the state and becoming citizens.

Some see the now-abrogated Article 370 as a hurdle to Kashmiri Hindu resettlement because the state's constitution prohibits persons living in India outside of Jammu and Kashmir from freely settling in the state and becoming citizens.