Odyssey of Kashmiri Pandits-II

D N Dhar  

(In this second, and last, part of his research paper Shri Dhar outlines the atrocities perpetrated on Kashmiri Pandits by Pathan rulers during 1753-1819 A.D: Editor)

Kashmir fell on evil days with the coming of Afghan rule (1753-1819 AD). Even today when Kashmiri Pandit children listen to stories of Pathan period from old people, they cannot resist being tearful. When Mir Faqir Ullah Kanth assumed the rulership of Kashmir as a rebel, he enlisted the services of Bomba and Khoka tribes to tyrannise Kashmiri Pandits. "Each morning a number of Bombas entered Pandit houses. The inmates were humiliated, put under arrest, and thereafter their houses were put on fire" (Anand Ram Pahalwan). About two thousand Kashmiri Pandits were converted to Islam by force (Hassan). In every Kashmiri Pandit family "Khoka '' is a household word. When a mother wants a child to desist from doing some mischief, she cries "O! the Khoka, Khoka is coming."

Pathan Rule

It was Mir Muqim Kanth who was instrumental in facilitating the introduction of Pathan rule in Kashmir. His son Faqir Ullah Kanth only followed the policy of his father in terrorising Kashmiri Pandits. About sixty seven years of Pathan rule was a period of great tension for Kashmiri Pandits, a period of trials and tribulations. Pandits, led by Dhars had to adopt the policy of diplomatic hide and seek their survival. In Spite of the great courage and patience which they exhibited they lived a life from moment to moment expecting a knock at the door any time. It was a life of subdued pain and anguish, Haji Karim Dad Khan (Subedar) collected all Kashmiri Pandit notables, huddled them into a small room and almost choked them to death with the smoke of cowdung and finally extracted from them a commitment to pay him Rs. 50,000 annually as a tax. This tax named as Zari Dudha. One Pathan governor Hazar Khan put Pandit Dila Ram Quli (Prime Minister) to death, and thousands of Kashmiri Pandits, tied up back to back in pairs, were drowned in river Jehlum. All these facts have been testified to by Muslim historians of Kashmir.

While the VITASTA (Jhelum) continued to flow with its ancient glory, it could not help carrying along the blood of thousands of Kashmiri Pandits. It could not escape being a witness to the cries, wailings, and sobbings of women and children who were being forcibly snatched off their near and dear ones. The VITASTA could no more enjoy the floating of thousands of flaming "Dipikas" over its shimmering under the cool evening breeze of the beautiful valley. No more were such festivals held. No more stood all the lofty temples on its banks. Iconoclasts destroyed these symbols of Kashmir's ancient cultural glory.

Ranjit Singh

Azim Khan crushed Kashmiri Pandits on the suspicion of having conspired with Maharaja Ranjit Singh, though the reasons for Maharaja Ranjit Singh's first attack on Kashmir were well known. As a result he killed a Pandit, Hardas Tiku in 1813. AD. He then imposed Jazia on Pandits and took to religious persecution. But all this could not last Jong. Because of constant crop failures Pandit Birbal Dhar who was the chief revenue farmer, could not keep the terms of his revenue contract with Azim Khan. Azim Khan, being rash and ruthless, pressurized him for money. One day when Birbal Dhar was summoned to an open Darbar he replied courageously:

"Am I to get credit for the failure of crops from God"?

The Subedar felt insulted. Next morning one hundred soldiers were sent to his house and the intervention of his uncle Pt. Mirza Pandit Dhar was solicited. While pressure was kept on Pandit Birbal Dhar, the news trickled to the Pandit that next morning they were going to convert him to Islam forcibly (Gulabnama). Taking his uncles, Mirza Pandit Dhar and Pandit Sehaz Ram Dhar into confidence, he left Srinagar for Deosar. He entrusted his wife and daughter-in-law to his Muslim friend, Kh. Abdul Qudus Gojwari. At Deosar his son Pt. Rajkak Dhar was the Tehsildar. There he was helped by Maliks (the guardians of the Passes), whose jagirs had also been confiscated by Azam Khan, to cross Pir Panchal along with his son. They reached Jammu where Raja Gulab Singh helped them with a letter on his brother, Raja Dhyan Singh, at Lahore court. Raja Dhyan Singh introduced the great Pandit to Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Pandit Birbal Dhar pleaded for military support for shaking off Afgan rule from Kashmir. Ranjit Singh already had a bitter experience of his attack on Kashmir. So he put certain conditions to Pandit Birbal Dhar which he accepted. Leaving his son Pt. Rajkak as a surety with Lahore Darbar, he was allowed support of a 30,000 army which was headed by veteran generals like Raja Gulab Singh, Hari Singh Nalwa and others. The battle that ensued in Kashmir resulted in the defeat of Afghans. So on 20th June, 1819 AD, Birbal Dhar entered the city of Srinagar alongwith the victorious army to a tumultuous welcome by the people. So was Afghan rule shaken off from Kashmir. The wife of Pandit Birbal Dhar and his daughter-in-law had been traced out earlier and brought to Sher Gari, in a Shikara to be presented before the Subedar. Pt. Birbal Dhar's wife poisoned herself to death by chewing the diamond of her ring, while his daughter-in-law was taken to Kabul never to return.

Unity At People's Level

In this long trail of religious persecution, what is glaringly clear is that it was never resorted to at people's level. It was done by Muslim Sultans, Mughal governors, and foreign religious zealots.

There are numerous examples available in Kashmir history where we find religious communities coming to each other's help at such crises. During 15th century people of Kashmir, both Hindus and Muslims, united to fight Sayyid zealots under the leadership of Tazi Bhat and Saif-ud-Din Dar. In fact many battles were fought across river Jhelum. When Muhatta Khan having vested interest declared himself as the Sheikh-ul-Islam and decreed the persecution of Hindus, it was obeyed by only a limited band of his followers. We have non-Muslim historians on record to show that in the rural side the Hindus were protected by their Muslim brethren and that this persecution did not trickle down to the countryside. Again when Pandit Birbal Dhar left Kashmir for seeking help from Maharaja Ranjit Singh he left his wife and daughter-in-law to the care of a Muslim friend who protected them at the cost of his own life. Local Muslims helped him cross the Pir Panchal range. Likewise during the Sikh times when a Sikh commander, Sardar Phula Singh, trained his guns on the mosque of Shah Hamdan, from the opposite side of the river Jhelum, the leading Muslims of Srinagar city led by Sayyid Hassan Shah Qadiri Khanyari approached Pandit Birbal Dhar. Pandit Birbal Dhar moved in the matter very quickly and due to his intervention the Khanqah was saved from being blown up.

Recent Times

In recent times communal orgy against Kashmiri Pandits was engineered by various agencies. Riots during early thirties were manipulated by the British Resident to pressurise Maharaja Hari Singh for surrendering Gilgit agency. During 1947, Pakistani raiders beseiged Baramulla town and let loose a reign of terror among Kashmiri Pandits and Sikhs. They were the victims of arson, loot and murder. In recent years during 1986 at Anantnag scores of Hindu Temples were desecrated, idols broken, and many images of gods and goddesses drenched in dirt and filth thrown into rivers and rivulets. It was all engineered by one of the power brokers of present day India for his personal ambition. Even at present it is the Zia plan being operated under the guidance of I.S.I.

So the odyssey of Kashmiri Pandits has come round to square one. When the first exodus took place during the time of Skander "Butshiken" the chronicler Joan Raja bemoaned, "oppressed by various calamities, such as encounters with the enemy, fear of snakes, fierce heat, and scanty food, many perished on their way." So are dying Kashmiri Pandits in similar fashion even today-by heat strokes, snake bites, want of food, medicines and accommodation.

Then it was 600 years back under Sultan Sikander who was a religious bigot. Today it is under the secular, democratic and socialist India. An irony!

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Courtesy:- D N Dhar and April-May 1995, Koshur Samachar