The Exodus that Never Ended: The Forgotten Struggles of the Kashmiri Pandits

Type "Kashmir" into any search engine, and the results will tell two different stories. Some articles will highlight the region’s breathtaking landscapes and diverse inhabitants, while others will focus on its long history of political turmoil and conflict. This stark contrast isn’t just a matter of perspective, but it reflects the deeply complex and contested reality of Kashmir, a place where beauty and strife are inextricably intertwined

Kashmir was said to have been founded by the ancient Sanskrit sage Rishi Kashyap, who helped the first inhabitants settle into the land. In honor of his legacy, the idyllic region was named Kashmir, and the people who had come to live in it went by the name of Kashmiri Pandits. Living in a casteless and knowledge-driven society, Kashmir and its Pandits drew the attention of many wide-ranging scholars. Many renowned students such as Adi Shankara came to Kashmir to study  at the prestigious Sharada Peeth university to become scholars in their fields, and Kashmir earned the title of Paradise on Earth.

However, this golden era of scholarship and harmony was not to last. Over time, shifting political tides and external invasions disrupted the region’s stability, gradually eroding the foundations of the Kashmiri Pandit community. Then, in an instant, everything changed. A string of seven exoduses forced the native Kashmiri Pandit Hindus to leave their homes throughout the span of seven centuries, with each forced migration diminishing more hope than the last. The aftermath of the partition between India and Pakistan in 1947 solidified the gruesome fate for Kashmir as a topic of debate, as both regions engaged in violent disputes to claim the land as their own.

Kashmir, although a part of India, saw the rise of anti-hindu sentiments towards the end of the 20th century, with a final ethnic cleansing targeted towards ridding the Kashmir valley of any presence of the Kashmiri Pandits. January 19, 1989 marked the official declaration of the genocide against the Kashmiri Pandits, and in the past 30 years, the original inhabitants of the valley have been unable to return to their rightful homes. Despite the intense focus on Kashmir’s political turmoil, the suffering of the Kashmiri Pandits, a community decimated by genocidal exoduses, political marginalization, and legal injustices, remains largely unrecognized in mainstream discourse. 

Historical Context: Kashmir’s Political and Religious Landscape

After the establishment of the Kashmiri Pandits, the region saw a burst of diversity in the following centuries. In the 3rd Century BCE, Buddhists came to Kashmir and settled alongside the Pandits in the valley. Peaceful cultural diversity bloomed among the children of the valley. 

The first signs of targeted persecution against Kashmiri Pandits came to light in the 14th Century during the Shah Mir dynasty. The spread of Islam in Kashmir began during the 13th century, accelerated under Muslim rule during the 14th and 15th centuries, and led to the eventual decline of Kashmiri Shaivism in the region. During Shah Mir’s time, he ordered the violent persecution of Kashmiri Hindus and violently destroyed hindu culture by burning shrines. 

During the centuries that followed, Kashmir’s political and religious landscape continued to evolve, but the status of the Kashmiri Pandits remained precarious. Periods of relative peace were often overshadowed by waves of persecution, displacement, and systemic discrimination. These challenges were further exacerbated in the modern era by legal frameworks that prioritized the region’s Muslim-majority population while overlooking the struggles of its native Pandit community. One of the most contentious of these policies was Article 370, a constitutional provision that granted Jammu and Kashmir special autonomous status within India.

Article 370 allowed the state to maintain its own laws regarding residency, property ownership, and governance, effectively limiting the rights of non-Muslims, including Kashmiri Pandits, within the valley. While it was originally framed as a means to protect Kashmir’s unique identity, in practice, it entrenched the marginalization of the Pandit community by ensuring that their voices remained politically and legally sidelined.

The legal principle of habeas corpus, meant to safeguard personal liberties, primarily benefited the majority population, offering little recourse to the displaced Kashmiri Hindus who had been forcibly driven from their homeland. Additionally, Kashmiri women faced a double burden under both Article 370 and the exodus: they not only suffered displacement but also lost land inheritance rights if they married outside the region, further eroding the Pandit presence in Kashmir. Rather than serving as a protective measure, Article 370 became an instrument of exclusion, one that deepened the erasure of the very people who had called Kashmir home for millennia.

The 1989 Exodus and Other Genocides: The Forgotten Tragedy

By the late 1980s, separatist militancy groups had reached their peak in Kashmir, fueled by growing radicalization, cross-border influences, and calls for an Islamic state. In 1989, this militancy took a sinister turn, directly targeting the Kashmiri Pandit community. Armed groups such as the JKLF Liberation Front, emboldened by political instability and the lack of state intervention, began a systematic campaign of terror against the Pandits, forcing them to flee their ancestral homeland in one of the most overlooked ethnic cleansings in modern history.

The numbers paint a grim reality. Within months, over 95% of Kashmiri Pandits had been forcibly displaced. Homes were ransacked, businesses looted, and entire neighborhoods emptied overnight. The chilling ultimatum of Raliv, Galiv, Chaliv, translating to Convert, Leave, or Die, were loudly chanted through the valley, leaving Kashmiri Pandits with no choice but to abandon their homes or face brutal consequences.

The violence was relentless. Hindu temples and shrines, symbols of Kashmiri Pandit heritage, were desecrated and burned to the ground. Targeted assassinations claimed the lives of prominent Pandit figures, including government officials, journalists, and scholars who had dared to raise their voices. Women were subjected to unspeakable atrocities such as rape, and families who resisted were slaughtered in their own homes. The once-thriving Kashmiri Pandit community, the original inhabitants of the valley, was reduced to a scattered diaspora, exiled from the land they had called home for millennia.

The Politicization of the Kashmiri Pandit Identity

The suffering of the Kashmiri Pandits has long been overshadowed by political agendas and selective storytelling. While global media extensively covers the struggles of Kashmiri Muslims, the exodus and persecution of Pandits remain little more than a historical footnote.

Misinformation campaigns further distort reality, reframing the Pandit exodus as an exaggerated event rather than a deliberate genocide. False equivalences attempt to minimize their suffering, and historical revisionism downplays the premeditated nature of their displacement. As a result, their tragedy is not just ignored, but it is actively erased, leaving the victims without recognition, reparations, or a voice in their own history.

What Should Happen Next? A Path to Justice and Reconciliation

Recognition alone is not enough, but tangible action is necessary to restore the rights and dignity of the displaced community. A key issue is property restitution. The homes and lands abandoned during the exodus must be returned to their rightful owners, and rehabilitation programs must move beyond hollow promises to tangible implementation.

A reformed constituent assembly must include Kashmiri Pandit representation, ensuring that their voices shape the region’s future rather than being drowned out by majoritarian politics. Most crucially, any plan for return must include strong security guarantees because without adequate protection, Kashmiri Pandits cannot safely reclaim their place in the valley.

The attempt to erase Kashmiri Pandit history extends beyond displacement, but it is visible in the destruction of temples, shrines, and cultural sites that once stood as testaments to their rich heritage. These sites must be rebuilt and preserved as part of a larger effort to restore the community’s identity. Equally important is education reform, the history of Kashmiri Pandits, their contributions, and their suffering must be included in curricula to prevent further erasure. Beyond textbooks, the global community must be engaged through documentaries, research, and advocacy, ensuring that the world no longer turns a blind eye to this injustice.

Justice for the Kashmiri Pandits is long overdue, but it is not beyond reach. Recognizing their suffering, restoring their rights, and preserving their legacy are not just moral imperatives, they are necessary steps toward true reconciliation and a future where Kashmir belongs to all of its people.

Image Source: The Quint