19 January 2022 marks the beginning of the 32nd year of exile of the Pandits. This day in 1990 brought misery to the community and subsequently led to their ethnic cleansing from Kashmir

What happened to Pandits in Kashmir in 1990 was the massive betrayal of trust and colossal loss of life thereafter. For the sake of Kashmir’s azadi — an Islamist movement with the guiding principle of La ilaha illa Allah — the Muslims turned against Pandits all of a sudden. Pandits were told that they must leave their homes for their own safety. The ethnic cleansing of Pandits started with the selective killings of Pandits in 1989 and by the end of 1990, the entire Kashmir was almost emptied of Pandits.