The Parmeshwari Conversion Agitation (1967):
Over the 5 centuries of Muslim rule, Kashmiri Pandits suffered indignities regularly; the Afghan rule (1752 -1819) however, was the most barbarous and probably the darkest phase in our +5000-year history. British historians Walter R Lawrence and George Forester (who visited Kashmir in 1783) have enumerated the horrors Afghans let loose over the hapless Pandits. Parents would deface their young girls to save them from the cruel Afghans. It was only when the Sikhs defeated the Afghans that the reign of terror came to an end.

The generic modus operandi of Muslims has been to abduct girls from the minority community, forcibly convert them to Islam and then marry them. We have seen such ‘mishaps’ happening regularly in Pakistan in the recent past where Hindu & Sikh girls are married off to Muslim men after being abducted and converted. The abduction is done to ‘shame’ the parents/ community of the girls, shatter their confidence, and psychologically prepare them for the ultimate acceptance of Islam. The bride is often touted as a ‘trophy’ by such perverts.

If two communities, sharing several cultural values including language, live nearby, some interaction between the younger generation is bound to lead to inter-religious marriages. Dr. Girija Dhar, a young Kashmiri Pandit girl, studying in the UK fell in love with Dr. Naseer Ahmed Shah, another young Kashmiri Muslim Physician. The two married in 1965 - eyebrows were raised amongst the conservative Pandit society as well as the Muslim community because Dr. Girija Dhar did not convert. However, things settled down soon and both families accepted the marriage. Sometime around that time, in our neighborhood, we had another inter-religious marriage – the daughter of a very famous Pandit Teacher eloped with a Muslim from the Mufti clan and Jaya Koul became Jamila Kulsum. We knew the teacher’s family very well and this event shattered them socially. However, since it was a marriage by consent, not much hue and cry were raised. However, if the traffic is one-sided, it gives rise to conspiracy charges. I quote two living examples of Muslim duplicity about such social events. Omar Abdullah, son of Farrukh Abdullah married a Hindu girl Payal in 1994 and it was celebrated as a big event, the communal angle being the cherry on the cake. However, when Omar’s sister, Sarah wanted to marry a Hindu boy (Sachin Pilot) in 2004, both Omar and his father Farrukh ‘excused’ themselves, for blatant political/ communal reasons. Farrukh left for London to cool his heels while Omar got himself admitted to a hospital on

the day of marriage. A few months down the line, they were back as one Big Happy Family!

Another interesting fact emerges from Dr. Naseer – Dr. Girija Dhar's marriage. They had just one child, aptly named Tina Anglia to stay away from the stigma of a name indicating her religion. Muslim militants, unhappy at Dr. Girija not having converted to Islam, ambushed her car in 1991 and tried to kill her as well as her daughter. Later, her daughter married Dr. Anil Kaul, a Hindu & a fellow doctor, much to the disappointment of communalists. Their engagement and marriage could not be performed in Kashmir because of the communal angle and the couple is now settled in the UK.

The Parmeshwari Handoo agitation erupted in July 1967 – a young Kashmiri Pandit girl, Parmeshwari Handoo took up a job in a J&K Govt Cooperative Store ‘Apna Bazar’, Amira Kadal. She would deposit the cash with her senior – Mr. Gulam Rasool Kanth at the end of the day; being new to the job and naïve, she trusted her senior and never asked for some sort of receipt. After about 2 months, her ‘worthy’ senior started blackmailing her, accusing her of embezzlement and threatening jail. The poor girl succumbed and was abducted by her tormentor. When the girl did not come home, her widowed mother sought help from community elders, and ultimately, an FIR was lodged in the Rainawari police station (where they lived).

Police were able to recover the girl and her abductor from an area of downtown called Wazapora – an area notorious for the pro-Pakistani sentiment. From here, the saga of the bizarre and convoluted game plans started emerging. Investigation of the case was handed over to a Muslim Police Office of Maharaj Gunj Police Station because the Rainawari PS, where the FIR was lodged, had a Kashmiri Pandit SHO who could have given justice to the girl and her family. The girl was shifted to another Police Station considered a den of pro-Pakistan sentiment – Khanyaar. All basics of a normal police investigation were thrown to the wind - no physical examination was done to ascertain her age since her mother was claiming that she was a minor. A rumor was set afloat that she was an adult and then, she was allowed to go with her abductor. All pleas of her mother and other Hindu Community members went unheard, unheeded.

The Kashmiri Hindu community was seething with anger and a sense of humiliation; the ‘secular’ credentials of then Chief Minister, an ex-communist, GM Sadiq (colloquially, ‘Sadiq kone’ because of some defect in one eye) stood torn and tattered. Kashmiri Pandits were reminded of the treatment meted out to them during the barbaric Afghan rule - the abduction, abuse, and exploitation of Pandit women. For the first time in its history, Kashmir saw its Hindu/ Pandit population rise in revolt, agitating against their second-grade citizen status and the daily atrocities they were being subjected to. The community elders formed a 21-member committee to take up the case with the Congress Govt of the state. A 5-member delegation went to meet Mr. Durga Prasad Dhar (sobriquet ‘DP Whisky’ because of his fondness for liquor) himself a Kashmiri Pandit, considered a political bigwig, a senior colleague of the Chief Minister and close to the then PM Mrs. Indira Gandhi. This meeting proved to be the cruelest cut – he humiliated the members of the delegation (to prove himself ‘secular’), shattering all hopes of even a fair listening by the government authorities.

Under the leadership of Pt Amar Nath Vaishnavi & Pt Tika Lal Tapiloo (murdered by terrorists

on September 14, 1989), a clarion call went out to all Kashmiri Pandits to hit the streets on August 8, 1967. Young boys and girls, ladies, old and young, gathered at Habba Kadal chowk to protest against the forced abduction of a minor girl and the insensitive, even callous attitude of the administration. Police (Kashmir Armed Constabulary) used their batons freely to beat the peaceful protestors, including women and children. For the next 1 week, these protests continued at various locations. Govt machinery came down heavily on the peaceful agitators, arresting both men and women; a night curfew was imposed. The administration also quietly played its trump card – stones started being thrown on Pandit houses and the administration patronized the rabid Islamic foot soldiers.

On August 22, 1967, Prof Balraj Madhok, President of Bhartiya Jan Sangh (precursor to today’s BJP) addressed a rally at Sheetal Nath Temple near Habba Kadal (then the nerve center of Kashmiri Pandits). On August 29, a contingent of KP youth started a protest march in Delhi, supported by a gathering of over 5000 Jan Sangh workers. They assembled at India Gate and then marched towards the Parliament before courting arrest at Patel Chowk. Indira Gandhi, though herself of Kashmiri stock, was least sensitive towards this minuscule minority but bowing to press criticism and political pressure exerted by Mr. Balraj Madhok, she asked the then Home Minister, Mr. YB Chavan to handle the situation by visiting Kashmir. Chavan arrived in Srinagar on September 2, 1967, and was briefed by the coterie of Syed Mir Qasim (later, a Chief Minister), DP Dhar, and of course, the current CM, GM Sadiq. They succeeded in giving him a very wrong picture as background – ignorant as he was about the ground realities of Kashmir. A delegation of Kashmiri Pandits presented to him a detailed memorandum, enlisting their problems – from the immediate issue of forced conversion of Parmeshwari to Parveen Akhtar and the flaunting of norms by investigating agencies; the memorandum also listed out grievances related to marginalization of the community in jobs, to being treated as second-grade citizens. Without as much as going through the papers or allowing the delegation to speak, Chavan, in his rustic Marathi tone is said to have taunted the delegation,” Aapko Chokri ki pareshani hai ya Naukri ki,”. This stunned the members – words coming from the mouth of a person sitting on the chair once adorned by Sardar Patel. It was humiliation beyond description.

The Muslim-dominated administration in the meantime started using all Machiavellian dirty tricks at its command. Massive demonstrations by Muslims against the words of Mr. Madhok, posters on the streets, asking Pandits to leave the valley. Mr. Chavan was handed over 2 such posters and he promised to discuss the matter with his masters in Delhi. Ultimately, he proved to be an inept, petty-minded, myopic politician who could not comprehend the writing on the wall. Had this scenario unfolded before a sharp, astute, and perceptive Home Minister, Kashmir could have escaped the fate that came to pass 22-23 years down the line.

The agitation became a victim of political betrayal, treachery, bias, bigotry, administrative apathy, and deception. It led to the death of 9 young Pandits through police beatings and lynching by Muslim mobs. For a microscopic minority, without any political support, and without strong local leadership, it became difficult to sustain the protests. We also had a few well-known Quislings who damaged the cause for personal gains or to get into the good books of their political masters. The community succumbed to the aggressive majority, carrying out a

long-term agenda. The chickens ultimately came home to roost in 1983, when Muslim youth unzipped their pants in front of Mrs. Indira Gandhi. Ominous portents were there for everyone to see but the blind and those lusting for power and pelf. History, if at all written fairly someday, shall judge the Political leadership in Delhi, the Congress, its myopic leadership in the state, the Abdullah family, GM Sadiq, Mir Qasim, and Mufti Syed very harshly. The vote bank politics, keeping J&K away from the national mainstream, the policy of appeasement and treating Kashmiri Muslims with kid gloves – all boomeranged and the price had to be paid by the original inhabitants of the Valley- Kashmiri Pandits, now reduced to a minuscule minority.

The fallout of Parmeshwari Agitation: 
Parmeshwari's agitation proved to be a watershed in the history of our community. Never before that this minuscule community rose to protest. Failure of the movement sent out different signals to different people. Like many, my late grandfather became convinced that our community has no future in Kashmir since we were not a vote bank. Many families started moving out of Kashmir to Jammu and other cities in India. The apprehensions, alas came true 12 years later when the entire community was uprooted in 1990.

Reviving Sheikh from the graveyard of history:

Political myopia saw Mrs. Gandhi put new life into Sheikh Abdulla who had been reduced to a non-entity by 1974. The G Parthasarathy – Mirza Afzal Beg negotiations led to the political comeback of Mr. Abdulla and the strengthening of anti-India forces in the valley. So miffed was Kashmiri Muslims with the political calisthenics of Abdulla that the popular Laddi Shah (political satire) sang: “Thadis naye akkal aase, Tundas kyah gav” {If the tall man (Abdulla) was bereft of common sense, what happened to the deformed Beg who was said to have a sharp, though negative mind}. The reference was to the popular Arabic saying: Ul Taveel, Ul Ahmaq, illa Hazrat Umar (all who are tall are fools, the sole exception being Hazrat Umar, the famous Caliph).

After Parmeshwari Agitation, things started deteriorating fast for our community in the valley. Yet, we were essentially in the Ostrich Mode, pretending not to see what we did not want to see. Jobs in Central Govt organizations, Banks, P&T, private sector (Pharma marketing in particular), and teaching - all lulled us all into a false sense of security. Our people were confident that the Central Govt and the presence of the Indian Army would ensure the failure of all evil plans of Radical Islamization in Kashmir.

A fallout of the emboldened Muslim approach was their venting out of anger on the hapless hate dolls of the Valley– Kashmiri Pandits. If there would be some disturbance in Palestine, stones would be pelted at our houses. In 1967, a couple of Europeans walking in the Bund Area of Srinagar were thrashed because Israel & Egypt were at war. When ZA Bhutto was deposed and imprisoned by Gen Zia in July 1977, our houses were stoned as if KPs were responsible. When Bhutto was hanged on April 4, 1979, again we were at the receiving end. The biggest paradox was when General Zia, who got Bhutto hanged, was blown up along with his plane on August 17, 1988, our houses were again hit. For our community it was a ‘heads I win, tails you lose situation.

The 1986-1989 period saw the emergence of actual militancy and the breakdown of the rule of law. Muslims started showing open defiance, as exemplified by the public sacrifice of a cow in Anantnag by Qazi Nissar. The Nero of Kashmir – Farrukh Abdulla admitted in an interview with a leading newspaper that he encouraged Muslim youth to crossover to Pakistan for receiving arms training. Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) became a popular terrorist outfit and its leaders – Yasin Malik, Javed Ahmad Mir (Nalqa), Hamid Sheikh and Ashfaq Wani became public heroes for openly displaying their weapons and killing Kashmiri Pandits.

Another ominous development was the emergence of a very cruel, almost barbaric terrorist organization by the name of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) which killed a greater number of Kashmiri Pandits than the JKLF. This organization, totally a Pakistan-funded one, was formed by two terrorists Master Ahsan Dar & Mohd Abdulla Bangroo in 1990 and was considered the armed wing of the Pro-Pakistan outfit Jamat-e-Islami. In 1991, Ahsan Dar was replaced by Syed Salahuddin (original name Syed Mohammad Yusuf Shah), who had once worked in J&K Police before becoming radicalized. Yusuf Shah had fought the J&K Assembly elections in 1987 but those were massively rigged by the National Conference (Abdulla family outfit). Salahuddin has since been operating from Muzaffarabad in POK and has been declared a Global Terrorist by the US State Department.

The Exodus: 1990
Selective killings of leading Pandits started in 1989 to terrorize the entire community. On September 14, Pt Tikalal Tapiloo, the acknowledged Pandit Leader, was shot dead. On November 4, Judge NK Ganjoo was gunned down in broad daylight, 100 meters from the main Police Station of Srinagar. The assassins were never arrested though their names were common knowledge. On January 4, 1990, the main Urdu newspaper in the Valley, Aftab published a message on behalf of the terrorists, asking ALL PANDITS TO LEAVE THE VALLEY OR ELSE FACE DEATH. Posters were pasted on the walls of Pandit houses, threatening them with certain death if they did not leave. Other newspapers too carried similar messages. Lawlessness took over the valley and the crowd shouting slogans and brandishing Kalanishkov guns started roaming the streets. The pinnacle of this hate pogrom was reached on the night of January 19-20, 1990 when at midnight, threats were broadcast from ALL MOSQUES, asking the terrified minority to leave or face annihilation. Pandits were advised to leave behind their daughters, sisters, and wives to escape the massacre. The exact words broadcast that night were,” Battav, Raliv, Chaliyv ya Galliv(convert or migrate or, get ready for annihilation). Another slogan was,” Kashmir Banyav Pakistan, Battav varay, batnyan saan – Kashmir has become Pakistan, with Pandit women, sans Pandit men). Scared, Pandits, the original inhabitants of Kashmir started leaving for Jammu, leaving behind their homes and hearths. It is estimated that almost 4- 5L Pandits left the valley in those dark days. Terrorists kept up the pressure by targeting well-known Pandit faces to further send shivers up the spine of this hapless community. On February 2, 1990, Satish Tikoo was murdered in his home; on February 13, Pt Lassa Kaul, Station director, Doordarshan (TV Channel) was murdered; on April 29, 1990, a well-known poet – Pt Sarvanand Kaul Premi was gunned down. It is estimated that almost 400 Kashmiri Pandits were killed in the Kashmir valley in 1990 itself.

The nadir of oppression was thus reached in 1990 when our entire community faced Ethnic Cleansing at the hands of a militant Islam. Let nobody be under any kind of misconception – we were uprooted by the foot soldiers of a radical Islam that brooks no Kafirs, all in the name of Islam, the religion that is supposed to mean peace.

Pandits just left the valley in droves, catching whatever transport was available – buses, trucks, taxis, and carrying whatever little luggage they could. They had no idea of what lay ahead for them – it was like jumping into an abyss. On reaching Jammu, people spent nights under the open skies in temple courtyards, playgrounds, and parks – wherever they could find space. A few lucky ones went to live with relatives and friends. People started hiring accommodation at exorbitant prices – even cowsheds and garages were taken up. Social organizations in Jammu rose to the occasion and tented refugee camps were set up on the outskirts of the city to accommodate the helpless victims of militant Islam.

The events of 1990 ensured total Ethnic Cleansing in Kashmir. For our community, a minimum of 2 generations lost their present and future – besides habitat, jobs, and means of livelihood were lost. Those lucky ones who had Government jobs were accommodated or at least, continued to receive their salaries. People working in the private/ unorganized sector, people with businesses or self-employed, and people who were land/ orchard holders, were put to tremendous hardships. A close relative who was a top-level contractor with jobs worth

crores at hand became a pauper overnight as he left the valley with his aged parents. Over the next decade, he could not get a contract to build a drain in Jammu and, ultimately, had to sell his palatial house in Srinagar’s Jawahar Nagar area for a pittance. Another relative, a famous lawyer with 10-15 years of practice in J&K High Court had to work as a junior to a well-known lawyer in Delhi – simply to earn his livelihood. Such stories were common as was the distress sale of properties, mostly houses. People sold off their homes simply to stay alive. Muslims, often known to families, would find out where a person was living and then offer him some money instead of his property – such property vultures became a common sight in Jammu/ Delhi.

Yes, J&K Govt gave handouts by way of some rations and much later, with some kind of stipends to meet the day-to-day expenses. People were forced to live in such inhuman conditions for almost 2 decades before being given a 1 room-kitchen accommodation in Jammu suburbs like Jagti, Nagrota, Muthi, etc.

I am not sure what fate holds for us in its folds. However, I wish to keep a record of the travails of our community, for my children, if nobody else! The younger generation must know! It is often said that people who negate history find themselves negated soon!