36 year of Kashmiri Hindu Exile By Muslims Extremist

Kashmir, often called "Paradise on Earth," was historically a powerful example of Kashmiriyat—a unique cultural synthesis where Muslim and Pandit communities shared language, customs, and a common homeland. This centuries-old coexistence was tragically dismantled in the late 1980s and early 1990s. A violent campaign, driven by a specific interpretation of political Islam, targeted the indigenous Hindu minority, leading to their near-total exodus. This article examines this tragedy through the lens of how extremist ideology weaponized religious identity, while distinguishing between the actions of militant groups and the broader Muslim community of Kashmir.

Homeless Hindu on won Land 

The Ultimatum of Terror: "Raliv, Galiv, Chaliv"

The late 1980s saw the rapid rise of a Pakistan-backed insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir that explicitly framed its struggle in religious terms. A key tactic was to isolate and target the Kashmiri Pandits, who were labeled as "kafirs" (non-believers) and agents of the Indian state by militant groups advancing a separatist Islamic ideology.

The crisis reached its peak on the night of January 19, 1990. Thirty-six years ago on this date, an atmosphere of pure terror was engineered. From mosques across the Valley, loudspeakers broadcast messages not of peace, but of hate and ultimatums. Streets filled with crowds chanting a chilling slogan directed at their Pandit neighbors: "Raliv, Galiv, Chaliv"—Convert to Islam, Die, or Flee.

This slogan was the violent manifestation of an Islamist extremist agenda seeking to create a purely Muslim domain. It presented no real choice. Conversion meant abandoning one's ancestral faith and identity under mortal threat. Death was a documented reality, with hundreds of Pandits killed in targeted assassinations. For most, the only path to survival was Chaliv—to run.

The exodus that followed was one of the most rapid and complete displacements of a native community in modern times. Within months, an estimated 90-95% of the Kashmiri Pandit population—some 350,000 to over 400,000 people—fled their homeland. They became internally displaced persons in their own country, living for decades in refugee camps in Jammu and elsewhere. Many were killed, and countless lost their homes, becoming permanent refugees in their homeland.

The Ideological Framework: How Religion Was Weaponized

Hindus family lost because of Muslims Mobs 

To understand this event, one must distinguish between the religion of Islam and the political ideology of Islamism that drove the violence.

1. The Shift from Nationalism to Religious Jihad: Early Kashmiri separatism had secular nationalist elements. However, by the late 1980s, the influence of the Afghan mujahideen and pan-Islamist doctrines transformed the insurgency. The goal shifted from independence to a union with Pakistan and the establishment of Nizam-e-Mustafa (a system based on Islamic law). In this new vision, there was no room for the Hindu minority.
2. Targeted Propaganda and Demonization: Pamphlets and sermons by extremist figures explicitly called for the expulsion of Pandits. They were portrayed not as fellow Kashmiris but as a fifth column, their very presence an obstacle to a pious Islamic society. This propaganda successfully radicalized a segment of the Muslim population, creating passive assent or active complicity in some quarters, though many ordinary Muslims opposed the violence and even sheltered Pandit neighbors at great personal risk
3. The Role of Militant Groups: Groups like Hizbul Mujahideen and Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) factions, though sometimes at odds, shared in the rhetoric that made Pandits targets. Their actions were not mere political violence but a form of religious cleansing, intended to alter the very demographic and cultural fabric of the Valley to fit a rigid Islamist ideal.

The Long Search for Justice and the Shadow of Denial

For over three decades, the displaced community has lived in exile, their struggle marked by a painful quest for acknowledgment.

• The Fight for "Genocide" Recognition: Survivors argue the events meet the criteria for ethnic cleansing and genocide, citing the intent to destroy a religious group. Their quest for a formal probe has been central.
• Supreme Court Setbacks: This quest has faced formal legal rejection. The Supreme Court of India dismissed petitions seeking an investigation into the exodus twice—in 2017 and 2022. For many survivors, this compounded the trauma, symbolizing how justice, too, has turned into exile.
• The Challenge of Narrative: A persistent challenge has been the minimization or denial of the religious nature of the persecution. Some narratives reframe it as a mere byproduct of general conflict, erasing the targeted anti-Hindu hate and the specific Islamist ideology that fueled it. Recognizing that the violence was fundamentally religiously motivated is essential for historical accuracy and reconciliation.

Conclusion: Beyond Coexistence to Truth

The tragedy of the Kashmiri Pandits is a stark lesson in how political Islamist extremism can destroy centuries of coexistence. It was not the faith of Islam itself that was the culprit, but a virulent, politicized interpretation of it wielded by militants and endorsed by a radicalized segment.

Kashmiri Pandits need justice 

The path forward for Kashmir requires an honest confrontation with this history. It requires the majority Muslim community in the Valley to acknowledge the specific nature of the persecution inflicted in the name of their religion, just as the Pandits must remember the Muslims who showed courage and humanity. True reconciliation is impossible without this truth.

The exile of the Pandits is not just a physical displacement but a spiritual and cultural amputation for Kashmir itself. Healing begins when history is faced with courage, not denial.