The reasons for the communal violence that led to the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley ranged from violent insurgency and political miscalculations to malicious foreign actors and heavy-handed government vendetta.
1975
With the signing of the 1975 Agreement, also called Indira Gandhi-Sheikh Abdullah Following the agreement, National Conference (NC) founder Sheikh Abdullah returned to power, agreeing to implement measures to further integrate the state with India. The main groups opposing the agreement are the Jamaat-e-Islami and People’s League in Jammu and Kashmir and the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir.
1978-1981
Sheikh Abdullah’s government takes a confrontational stance against the Centre, deepening polarization by Islamizing the names of nearly 300 places across the state. Pakistan’s ISI intensified efforts to radicalize the Muslims of the Valley by spreading extremist Wahhabism instead of Sufism
1982
Sheikh Abdullah passed away. His son Farooq will succeed him as Chief Minister
1984
The hanging of JKLF terrorist Maqbool Bhat in February triggered widespread protests in the Valley, which were crushed by the Indian Army. In July, with the support of PM Indira Gandhi, Farooq’s brother-in-law Ghulam Mohammad Shah became the chief minister. In October, Prime Minister Gandhi was assassinated by his Sikh bodyguards, and anti-Sikh riots broke out in Delhi.
(Photo: India Today Archive)
1987
under Farooq Abdullah And Rajiv Gandhi, The NC and Congress form an electoral alliance, while the Islamists come together under the banner of the Muslim United Front. NC-Congress alliance wins, but there are widespread allegations that the election was rigged
1986
Shah courted Islamists by announcing the construction of a mosque within the Secretariat complex next to a Hindu temple in Jammu. In Uttar Pradesh, communal tension has escalated after the Babri Masjid was opened for Hindu pilgrims. Protests across Kashmir turned into riots, the worst ever; The army is called in. Center dismisses state administration and imposes governor’s rule Jagmohan (appointed in 1984)
(Photo: Sharad Saxena)
1988
Buoyed by its success in deploying jihadists against Soviet forces in Afghanistan, the ISI is trying to replicate the strategy in Kashmir, arming and training terrorists in India. With the Indian wing of the JKLF rising to prominence, the insurgents have intensified violence in the Valley. Four men- Hamid Sheikh, Ashfaq Wani, Javed Ahmed Mir and Yasin Malik-Create core group
Neelkanth Ganju
1989
The defeat of the Congress in the national election brings VP Singh to a coalition government; Kashmiri leader Mufti Mohammad Sayeed Has been made Union Home Minister. The insurgents carried out a series of attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, including the killing of NC worker Mohammad Yusuf Halwai, BJP member Tika Lal Taplu and the judge. Neelkanth GanjuWho sentenced Maqbool Bhat to death. Sayeed’s daughter in December rubaiya Kidnapped by JKLF terrorists. He was freed as a result of negotiations in exchange for the release of five captured terrorists.
(Photo: Getty Images)
1990-91
As violence and threats intensify and after several shocking killings, including the killing of four Air Force personnel and several Kashmiri Pandits, a mass exodus begins. Some estimate that over 90 per cent of the community has migrated from the Valley during this period. As of 1991, an estimated 689 Pandits have been killed, of whom about 77,000 fled to neighboring Jammu in 1988.
1990
With the law and order situation deteriorating, PM VP Singh reappointed Jagmohan as governor on 19 January; CM Farooq Abdullah resigns in protest With door-to-door searches, action has been ordered on the militants, whose protests have intensified. On January 21, security forces opened fire on protesters in Srinagar, in which 50 people were killed in the Gaukadal massacre. Militancy is at its peak in the Valley targeting security personnel and Kashmiri Pandits. Threatening messages are circulated from mosques and newspapers, warning Pandits to leave and demanding that Kashmiris follow the Islamic dress code.