new Delhi . The majority of Kashmiri Pandits see Farooq Abdullah, the former Chief Minister of the then Jammu and Kashmir state, as the main culprit of the atrocities committed against them.
He believes that he is responsible for the mass exodus of the minority community and all the incidents before the advent of militancy in the Valley.
Farooq Abdullah was the Chief Minister from 7 November 1986 to 18 January 1990. This was a time in which Kashmir was slowly falling down and the apathy seemed insurmountable, despite warnings from intelligence agencies.
In February 1986, there were large-scale communal attacks in South Kashmir. Muslim mob looted or destroyed the properties and temples of Kashmiri Pandits.
Farooq Abdullah’s brother-in-law Ghulam Mohammad Shah was the Chief Minister then. He failed to stop the violence and the army was called in to stop the devastation.
His government was dismissed in March 1986 by the then Governor Jagmohan. It was reported that Mufti Sayeed, (who was then the leader of the Congress) had instigated the violence, as he was keen to become the chief minister and replace Shah.
Then the Prime Minister of the country was Rajiv Gandhi, who later gave Sayeed a seat in the Rajya Sabha and also made him a Union Minister. In November 1986, after months of hectic negotiations, Rajiv Gandhi and Farooq Abdullah signed an agreement and the latter was reinstated as chief minister.
This was the period which saw the massacre.
Ramesh Raina, president of the All India Kashmiri Samaj (AIKS), said, “This 1986-1989 period is an important one in the history of Kashmir, which is often overlooked. The exodus did not happen overnight. There was complete preparation for this. The agreement confused the country. You can say that he was incompetent and had no control or you could say that he was completely involved in it, knew everything and let things happen.”
Ramesh Manawat, leader of Panun Kashmir, said, “The Muslim Conference, the original incarnation of the ‘National’ Conference, began in the 1930s as a group to fight for the rights of Muslims in Kashmir. Turned the tide. Nurtured the dream of an independent. Kashmir (following his call to ‘Quit Kashmir’ in the 1940s) – National Conference’s attitudes towards minorities leading to the dismissal of its founder Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah in the 1950s It represented the legacy of the communal Muslim mindset and anomalies – the Kashmiri Pandit and the ‘idea of India’ that Farooq Abdullah carried forward during his long reign as CM of J&K.”
“Farooq Abdullah, a silent supporter of events on the ground, busy playing golf and mingling with Bollywood actresses, finally decided to flee to London when Kashmir was burning and Pandits were being massacred. “
Former Director General of Police, J&K, Shesh Paul Vaid tweeted on March 16, “Perhaps very few people know that J&K Police has arrested the first batch of terrorists trained by Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI. They were released and the same terrorists later led many terrorist organizations in J&K.”
Vaid was the DGP of Jammu and Kashmir from December 31, 2016 to September 6, 2018. He has given the names of the terrorists in his tweet, “They include Mohd Afzal Sheikh of Trehgam, Rafiq Ahmed Ahangar, Mohd Ayub Nazar, Farooq Ahmed Ghani, Ghulam Mohammad Gujri, Farooq Ahmed Malik, Nazir Ahmed Sheikh and Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din Teli. Was it possible without the knowledge of the Central Government of 1989?”
The fact that intelligence agencies were repeatedly alerting about hordes of Kashmiris, especially youth, going to PoK for arms training, was largely unheard of.
There were a lot of kidnappings, especially of government employees, most of them Kashmiri Pandits, but no action was taken.
Threats were made openly in the local newspapers, posters were pasted and hit lists were made, but the administration appeared helpless. The then Governor Jagmohan had mentioned the situation through letters dated 20 April 1990 to the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
Jagmohan wrote in the letter, “May I remind you that from the beginning of 1988, I started sending you ‘warning signals’ about storms in Kashmir? had neither the time, nor the inclination, nor the vision to see these signs. They were so obvious that to ignore them was to commit a sin of true historical proportion.”
His fears came true and minorities and moderates had to bear the brunt, while Farooq Abdullah soon left the Valley for London.
Ramesh Raina said, “On January 19, 50 per cent Kashmiri Pandits ran away. It didn’t happen suddenly. Farooq Abdullah is known to all. He has to answer.”
“While the valley was burning, Farooq Abdullah fled to London. He was a founding member of Alphata, JKLF. When he was in chair, youths were being taken to Pakistan through the LoC. How was it possible without his knowledge ?”
He asked, “Why were the terrorists being released from jail again? Why did they resign overnight and the next day escape? It was all planned, because then everything had turned to their heads. So they resigned. But what? The escape could have happened without a conspiracy behind it?”
When Farooq Abdullah was in J&K, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was the Home Minister at the Centre. His role as Home Minister is also questioned by the community.
Surinder Kaul, head of Global Kashmiri Pandit Diaspora, said, “After we were forced to flee Kashmir, we staged a protest. I remember a meeting with the then Home Minister Mufti Sayeed in 1990. All he had to say was, ‘Yeah, that’s not right’.
“He had no answers to our questions. We told him, ‘Why had the local police and intelligence network disappeared. Why was no one doing their job? Why was there no security’. But he remained silent. That day. I realized that the state and central power system of our country has collapsed and there is no one to help us.”
Kaul said, “Farooq Abdullah has double standards. He always speaks something in Delhi and something in Kashmir. He never gave good governance. He protected the elite and never worked for the common people. Keeping his jagir alive To keep, they divided communities. When Kashmiri Pandits were being killed, maimed, women were being gang-raped, looting and arson became the order of the day, where were they.”
There have been times when Farooq Abdullah had to bear the brunt of the displeasure of Kashmiri Pandits. In 2019, when he tried to meet a group of Kashmiri Pandits who had come to Srinagar on a pilgrimage, he backtracked after raising slogans against them.
Kashmiri Pandits feel that if Farooq Abdullah had taken strong measures, Kashmir would not have been hit by terrorism and minorities would not have been persecuted or forced out.
The community is seeking answers and wants a judicial commission to be set up and Farooq Abdullah to be probed.
—AnyTV News
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