As per wikipedia, the Kashmiri Pandits (KP) (also known as Kashmiri Brahmins) are part of the larger Saraswat Brahmin community. They belong to the Pancha (five) Gauda Brahmana groups from the Kashmir Valley. KP were forced to leave valley by the militancy in 1990. Kashmiri Pundits Exodus From Kashmir
J&K was given a special status through article 370 and 35A. These articles gave as part of agreement between people of J&K and Govt of India, an special status which majority of the Indian states never had. In turn, J&K was more autonomous in governance by state govt and hence had little interference by central govt. Slowly, congress govt working on the soft Hindutva Agenda, always but slowly degraded the article 370 and 35 A. Slowly congress made J&K, a largely military state which lead to the militancy in the state.
The Kashmiri Pandits were in govt services and allegedly KP started working for central govt and against the people of states who are largely Muslims. There were news reported that targeted killing of Kashmiri Pundits took place in J&K where they used to do spying against the local militants. The killings of KP were condemned worldwide by various muslims groups including Kashmiri Muslims.
Recently, #ShaheenBagh Observed 2-minute Silence for Kashmiri Pandits in Solidarity Show where four KP also joined the solidarity observed in Shaheen Bagh.
However, this (Kashmiri Pundit exodus from Kashmir) has become routine to justify any killing of minorities specially Muslims in India by right wing forces (RSS and its affiliate organizations). When Muslims are killed in India by Cow Vigilante (a RSS affiliate) for choice of food as beef, then right wing scholars justify these killings of current time with what happened to Kashmiri Pundits in J&K in 1990, 30 years back when many youths of current days even were not born.
Similar arguments are being given when muslims are being killed in any planned communal riots planned by right wing forces against the minorities in India. A Kashmiri Pundit and former chief justice of India, Justice Markandey Katju put it like;
*The atrocities on Pandits were committed 25 years ago when the present Kashmiri Muslim youths were not even born. To blame them is like blaming the present-day Germans for what the Nazis did to the Jews in the 1930s and 1940s* https://www.dailypioneer.com/2019/columnists/why-are-pandits-so-indifferent-to-other-kashmiris-.html
A similar article published recently in Washington Post by Author Nishita Trishal with heading *India must stop weaponizing the pain of Kashmiri Pundits* https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/08/22/i-am-kashmiri-pandit-india-must-stop-weaponizing-pain-our-past/
The exodus of Kashmiri Pundits has become a political tool to target the Muslims minorities in various part of the India. It was observed that even 2002 Gujrat communal riots (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_Gujarat_riots) when Narendra Modi was chief minister of the state, which killed more than 2000 Muslims in Gujarat, was being justified using exodus argument of Kashmiri Pundit from Valley. How a Gujrati innocent muslims women and children killed cold blooded / burnt alive could be held responsible for exodus of Kashmiri Pundits? How justice will prevail in such wider sense of hate against the muslims minorities in other Indian states? The continuous campaign by Kashmiri pundits / media and political parties like RSS and BJP keep demonizing the Muslims of India other than J&K.
However, the new ray of hope is coming from young Kashmiri pundits who are well educated and understand that hate will not win the heart of the people and it makes the situation more worse than aligning it towards the peaceful reconciliation. Some of the tweets for a young Kashmiri Pundits are provided here;
An argument has been put by an user that how BJP also helped in the exodus of Kashmiri Pundits to get its political advantage by polarizing the Hindus against the Muslims in India for electoral advantage.
When BJP was in power earlier under Atal Bihari Bajpayee govt, they released dreaded terrorists as well. Theirs anti-terrorism rhetoric could always be questioned;
The Indian Muslims condemn the injustices done to them while they were thrown out from theirs houses or being forced them to leave the valley. This is against the teaching of Islam as well which advocates that you should not thrown out the people from theirs houses and land. Kashmiri Muslims and Pundits should sit together and negotiate on social level about how to return back to theirs homes.
While it is being requested from all Kashmiri Pundits across the globe that please do not allow right wing organizations (BJP / RSS and Congress) to use your exodus as weapon against the Muslims Minorities in India because such weaponization is against the basic principal of justice.
Weaponization of Kashmiri Pundits exodus is treated as missiles for spreading hate against minorities among Hindus of other Indian states by right wing organizations and this injustice need to be stopped for newer generations of Muslims by newer generations of Kashmiri Pundits.
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