Hello.
- Aren't you cold? - Nice meeting you.
- Aren't you cold? - We're from Kashmir.
Yeah. Yeah.
I can't forget the milkman incident.
The milkman would come every morning.
One day there was some occasion, I had hoisted our flag,
he came and ripped the flag and threw it down.
I got angry and kicked his milk container.
He tells me you will regret it.
Everyone at home was terrorised.
They asked me why did you do that.
I said why did he touch my flag.
That milkman came home after a few days.
That was very horrific and I don't want to think about it.
I haven't told my family too.
He came home.
I was in the 7th or 8th grade, I guess.
I went to get the milk.
He grabbed me and pushed me to the wall.
And then he actually ran his hand over me.
And he said you talk a lot of nonsense.
Yes. Like that. You talk a lot of nonsense.
It is so frightening when individuals you encounter on a daily basis,
the milkman or the vegetable vendor,
suddenly touch you in this manner.
This happened to Manjuji because
she couldn't the bear the disrespect of the tricolour.
The idea of rebellion that was being fed into the minds of the people,
since so many years was coming out in front these Kashmiri Pandits in this manner.
If you evaluate that period of Kashmir,
you end up with a lot of questions.
And the irony is that these questions carry their answers within.
Since the elections of 1987,
the atmosphere in Kashmir had become fiery and tensed.
With MUF's defeat, people's feelings of revolt had turned into anger.
The information that terrorism was about
to break out in Kashmir had secretly spread around.
Considering that this was something widely known to every individual in Kashmir,
why was Farooq Abdullah not aware of it?
Or perhaps he was.
But he himself had rigged the elections to came into power,
why would he accept that terrorism was on the cards.
It has been my observation that if leaders refuse to acknowledge a situation,
the entire system follows suit and refuses to take action.
In fact they become impotent.
While the Chief Minister's helplessness is understandable,
why did the leaders of the MUF remain silent?
What was holding them back?
Or was there a conspiracy at play behind their silence?
Our national bird is Peacock, but at that time,
it seemed as if everyone in Kashmir behaved like ostriches,
burying their heads in the sand and ignoring everything.
It was so shocking, when
I got the first tip off.
I had a friend named Tony Jesudasan
who was the chief of the north Indian branch of the USIS.
He told me that terrorism is about to break out in Kashmir.
I couldn't believe it.
So I met Defence Minister Dinesh Singh.
I said, "What's going to happen in Kashmir?"
He said, "It's the lull before the storm."
- Om! - All praise the Allah.
All praise the Allah.
Sir, I feel we'll have to stop the rehearsal.
The atmosphere outside is very bad.
We'll do it some other time.
I have come across many processions like these.
Let it not disturb us.
We want freedom.
All praise the Allah.
We want freedom.
All praise the Allah.
We want freedom.
All praise the Allah.
The definition of independence explained to Kashmiri Muslims was that
they will have an independent state.
Like Islamic Republic of Kashmir.
But for Pakistan, this independence meant something else.
They claimed that Kashmir was theirs.
It meant that they would not let Kashmir either be free or be a part of India.
The people of Kashmir will take their freedom with bravery and courage.
Only one slogan will emerge.
'Freedom.'
One slogan will emerge from every school.
'Freedom.'
Every kid will shout.
'Freedom. Freedom. Freedom.'
The leaders of Muslim United Front emerged as the
Hurriat Conference, Jammu Kashmir Liberation front
and the biggest face of terrorism in Kashmir,
Hijbul Mujahideen.
And the motive of both these terrorist groups was the same.
First was to attack the Indian armed forces, be it the Indian army
CRPF, BSF or Jammu Kashmir police.
And second was to target and kill the Hindu minority in Kashmir.
It is the fault of us journalists too.
We also said
that because the 1987 elections were rigged the youth turned to terrorism.
But the youth was turning to terrorism from 1971...
Did they know then that '87 elections would be rigged?
Even if the government was honest
and there was no corruption, nepotism or rigging,
'Jihaad' would have happened.
Zia Ul Haq's secret plan of terrorism in Kashmir was called 'Operation Tupac',
which was been being meticulously planned for years,
and now was the time to execute it perfectly in Kashmir.
The biggest weapon of this Operation Tupac was
the Kashmiri Muslim youth.
I have consistently struggled to comprehend how a boy who was praying until yesterday,
who was caring for his parents, and assisting his neighbours,
could abruptly transform into a terrorist?
What was being told to these youth that made them turn to terrorism?
How was their thought process and pysche changed?
Did the extremist leaders actually think that Kashmir's future
will be bright after these boys, who were Kashmir's future,
are pushed into armed terrorism?
Whether they achieved independence or not...
Once the youth would turn to terrorism
would he sit in an office and work for Kashmir's development?
As we delved deeper into our research, we discovered that,
this was not about the Muslim youth of Kashmir
or about Kashmir.
This was about the agenda of the handful of people
who wanted to gain power at any cost.
For the sake of running their own businesses.
They recklessly put the future of Kashmiri Muslim youths at stake.
We will stab India a thousand times and make it bleed.
Zia Ul Haq said this.
He made the plan that he would use the Muslim Youth of Kashmir,
and not infiltrate from outside.
So Jamat-e-Islami taught boys about Jihaad at schools.
Words like Kaafir and Jihaad were imprinted on their minds.
The boys of the Muslim family, which was 70-80 percent of the population,
between the age 16-25 slowly started to disappear.
We got news of children disappearing.
My mother would tell me a certain boy was missing.
They would be gone for 4-6 months. Okay.
So we could see them doing shadow boxing
or arms practice.
The kids were trained and brainwashed systematically.
And they were ready to kill or get killed.
The Kashmiri youth was never so aggressive to come
out on the streets to kill Hindus.
From the begining, be it Gilani, Hurriat or JKLF,
PDP or National Conference.
They all said the same thing to the Kashmir youth
and to Kashmiri Muslims, for votes or otherwise also, that
'You are not Indians.'
Let's buy some Nadru.
No. It's okay.
How much for Nadru?
28 rupees per kilo.
Have you gone crazy? Lessen the price.
The price is set.
- He won't bring the price down. - Wait.
I'll pay.
Pay the day you learn to speak Kashmiri.
Here. Put it in the bag.
100 rupees.
What are you doing?
You're giving me a Jinnah instead of Gandhi
He is giving me the Pakistani currency.
Janab, you'll get the currency of the country you stay in.
By the early 80s, the caders of the Jamaat-e-Islami would travel to POK
or to far off regions.
Or to Afghanistan.
And would come back after being trained.
So all the Muslim youth there considered it Jihaad.
And geared up for Jihaad.
And they were trained across the border.
So I was also trapped.
I was doing my internship at a hospital at that time.
And a case came in the casualty.
It was an 18 year old kid.
He shot his mother in the ear and her ear was torn off.
And when that patient was brought into the casualty ward
she told us he got a gun and showed it to us.
And it fired by mistake.
She survived but her ear was torn off.
In 1988, the ambience was changing.
And Kashmir's environment was being coloured green.
The time was being changed to Pakistan time.
So, an overt exercise was going on.
During that period, Mr. Jagmohan served as the governor of Jammu and Kashmir.
He penned a book titled "My Frozen Turbulence" to describe his experiences in this role.
Throughout my research, I read this book multiple times.
He explicitly states in it that he had consistently reported to the Prime Minister of India,
Mr. Rajiv Gandhi, in Delhi, regarding the escalating terrorism in Kashmir.
He had expressed his concerns that the situation in Kashmir was deteriorating
and warned that without prompt action, the situation would spiral out of control.
But Mr. Rajiv Gandhi did not reply to his letters or take any action.
In 1989, bomb blasts, firings, torching,
stone pelting had started to happen overtly.
The terrorism that was being planned since years
was now out there on the streets.
Everything that symbolised India was being targeted.
All of us were getting news of this terrorism in Kashmir.
So then why did we never get to know the stories of the Kashmiri Pandits,
who were the targets of this terrorism?
Why did we never know what was happening to somebody's house,
somebody's temple, somebody's daughter
somebody's child out there on the streets?
There were houses on both sides.
Muslim families lived on one side.
And Hindus lived on the other side.
And the window panes of all of the Hindu houses were broken.
Houses were on both sides.
But there was not even a scratch on Muslim houses.
And the Hindu houses were broken.
So they had the Hindus scared by all means.
I had never imagined, I would live in fear in my own country,
in my own area.
When we started going to tuitions,
we got news that Muslims wanted a clear discrimination
between Muslim girls and Hindu girls.
So Muslim girls had to cover their heads
and Hindu girls will not be wearing a Bindi.
So, I remember my mother covered my head
before sending me out so that I look like a Muslim girl.
So, fear and terror was deeply rooted in our hearts.
Firing took place near Anantnag's Lal Chawk.
Not the one in Srinagar.
So, a bullet whizzed past me.
I saw it. I just survived.
I saw the bullet whizzing past me when they were firing.
So after that I just ran.
And I have been running ever since. I get those nightmares every now and then.
Uncle was abducted and we didn't know where he is for 5 days.
Oh my God!
And 5 days later when he returned home, he was burnt with cigarettes.
Somebody told them that he was no threat and they released him.
We were fortunate that he was not killed.
It was obvious that it was the trained youth that was carrying out the bombs blasts
and firing on the streets.
My question to the Kashmiri Pandits was, didn't their neighbors,
colleagues, or friends know what was happening?
Did they never help you?
My sister was pursuing MS at the Srinagar University.
They were supposed to go on a trip to Bengaluru.
None of the Muslim boys in their class registered for it.
They said why aren't you registering.
They said you'll soon find out.
All this is not going to happen.
They knew in advance.
They knew everything.
But as Hindus, we had no idea about it.
People would often say the terrorists came from Pakistan.
It is true. Terrorists did come from there and they trained others.
But our very own Muslim people were with them.
They became militants and terrorists.
- Did you know them? - Yes. People we knew.
- Neighbors and friends?
Yes, my neighbors. We felt so betrayed.
The Muslim friend you played with and had food with,
he comes and gives you a warning.
I used to learn Carnatic classical music.
And my teacher, we had another Muslim student there.
He told us one day, in front of me and my teacher
that Hindus will be killed here.
That was in 1988.
And we thought, "Oh, he is a mad guy."
Didn't realise that he was telling the truth.
What's going on?
To tell you the truth, the situation is very bad.
I suggest you go out of town for a few days.
Go out of town?
But where do we go leaving our house?
Don't worry about it.
We will take care of your house.
And once you come back...
It's just the matter of a few days.
Everything is going to be alright.
And then, all the well-known Hindus started getting targeted and killed.
To terrorise the common man,
and to display the power of their terrorism.
Popular leader Pandit Tikalal Taploo,
and Justice Neelkant Ganjoo were assassinated in broad daylight in the marketplace.
When I heard their stories from their families,
my views on these murders changed.
Tell me. When you lived with Mr. Tikalal in Kashmir
did you feel his life was in danger?
Yes. Absolutely.
When I used to go to school,
there was a Muslim shopkeeper.
He would stop and ask,
Where are you going?
I would say I am going to school.
Take care of your husband. His life is in danger.
I said there is no threat to him.
There is no one who can harm him.
He is the friend of the Muslims and Hindus both.
Five days before the first incident on 14th September 1989
I came to Delhi for some work.
My mother lived in Kashmir.
My father brought her to Delhi out of the blue.
I was shocked. I was like why did you bring her to Delhi.
So, my father Pandit Tikalal spoke to me after the dinner.
This was the last conversation between a father and son.
He told me to 'be ready, be mentally prepared
because terrorism is rising in Kashmir.
The government doesn't care.
The situation is grim.
And some people might even murder me'.
Just like any other son, I was shocked.
I said why are you saying this?
Why would the people there kill you?
You are a social activist.
You work for the Kashmiri Muslims.
You fight cases for the Kashmiri Muslims.
I know you provide free ration for many.
You share whatever we get from our farm with the poor.
So why would they kill you?
He said this is politics. You will not understand.
Be mentally prepared.
As a son, I tried very hard to stop him.
But he would say,
"What do you want me to do?"
"If I flee from Kashmir fearing them they will call me a coward."
"Tikalal fled. He is scared of us."
"Or do you want to see me die a dignified death, wrapped in tricolour?"
I couldn't say anything.
But later, I got the news,
when my father was the way to the court,
five coward assailants murdered him.
And he was shot in the back.
And since then, this day, 14th September
is celebrated as the day of the sacrifice
of the Kashmiri Pandits all over the world.
He was always under the impression that no matter what,
they will not harm me.
I was the last person in the family who was with him.
I see.
Call it my good fortune.
I spent about four hours that day with him.
So, I was driving him.
Near central telegraph office...
It was 12/12.30 pm.
He asked me to drop him there and leave.
I said, "How can I drop you here?"
I had an argument with him in the vehicle.
And do you know what was his last reply to me on that?
What?
He tells me, "Look here."
"If I withdraw from the scene then you will become targets."
"They want revenge anyhow."
I had no reply to his question.
He started to walk in Mira Kadal.
When he got there, three people surrounded him.
And shot him.
He dropped down to the ground.
Some people tried to help him.
But they said they would meet the same fate if they did.
They started shouting 'Wakeel Mor' which meant we have killed the judge.
We have avenged death of Maqbool Bhat.
Once the assailants left, someone
for some reason put a newspaper under his head.
So, I have heard.
We had warned him that
we would murder him.
He told us several times after establishing contact, that he was not scared.
That he was an Indian.
And we were forced to kill him.
In my opinion, this was not a display of the power of terrorism
but rather a display of bravery by Mr. Ganjoo and Mr. Taploo.
Despite receiving life threats,
both of them chose not to flee Kashmir and instead remained steadfast.
They continued to raise their voices against terrorism for as long as they were alive,
actively fighting against it.
By the end of 1989, two major incidences happened.
Firstly, Farooq Abdullah suddenly released 70 ISI trained terrorists.
This was a major blunder from the political point of view.
Secondly, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, who was the Home Minister of India at the time,
his daughter, Rubaiya Sayeed was abducted.
And in exchange the terrorists belonging
to JKLF were released.
Was it just the case of surrendering in front of the terrorists?
Was it a deal?
Was it a conspiracy?
Or was it a case of keeping up the close ties with the terrorists?
It was the first batch of 70 trained terrorists.
I would like to tell everyone that the J&K Police had arrested most of them.
Not many people in or outside the country know this.
We came to know upon their interrogation,
even the central agencies didn't know what Operation Tupac was until then.
And what was this nefarious design of the ISI and General Zia Ul haq.
We were shell shocked.
The officers of J&K Police couldn't believe that this was possible.
I would like to tell you that J&K Police had not seen an AK-47 until then.
When these facts were presented before the government...
I don't know the details of how this decision was made...
Was it done on the Central Government's directions or not,
only the investigating officers would know.
Releasing them was like shooting oneself in the foot.
And these people
went on to be the commanders of various terrorist organization.
Indian flags are being burnt.
Pakistani flags are being hoisted at Lal Chawk?
So, then why don't you do something?
What can we do?
The Central Government doesn't respond to any of my requests.
Your office refutes my decisions.
JKLF blatantly gets assistance from your party's headquarter.
This is Kashmir.
We are Independent.
Your constitution's Article 370 supports our independence.
We'll do whatever our people want from us!
The moment Mufti Mohammad Sayeed becomes the Home Minister,
when VP Singh's government comes into power, Rubaiya Sayeed gets kidnapped.
Five terrorists, Yasin Malik and four others...
who kidnapped Rubaiya Sayeed,
they demanded that some of their JKLF terrorist be released.
Only then would they let Rubaiya Sayeed go.
Finally, the Home Minister and the Central Government decided
that they would release these terrorists.
Would the Government had acted differently
had it not been the Home Minister's daughter?
I don't know.
Burn down the buildings of the Indian establishment!
The prominent police officers
and government officials of this place,
their relatives,
their children, will be kidnapped.
And if they do not give in,
then like we threatened Mufti Mohammad's daughter, we will slay them.
During the interrogation several of the terrorists told us
that they were told
to create internal disturbance and make the situation worse.
And then very soon Pakistan army
will be there to help them.
Quit Kashmir!
Ya Ali! Ya Ali!
On one hand, the Kashmiri Pandit community
found themselves entirely powerless and vulnerable,
amidst a climate of intense animosity and hostility.
And on the other hand, the consequences of releasing these terrorists were that,
the youth in Kashmir began carrying AK47 rifles openly and threatening people.
A notion took root across Kashmir that they had triumphed over India.
Mighty India has been brought down to its knees.
An absolute conviction grew within the minds of the entire Kashmiri population
that nothing could prevent Kashmir
from attaining independence on the upcoming 26th January.