After a massive response achieved by Vivek Agnihotri’s ‘The Kashmir Files’, the majority of netizens view Farooq Abdullah, the former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, as the main culprit behind the horrors committed against the Hindus in the Kashmir valley.
Is Farooq Abdullah responsible for the 1990s?
There is no doubt that between 1989 and 1990, almost all of the native Hindus from the Kashmir Valley, mostly Kashmiri Pandits, had been brutally forced out of Kashmir by Islamised forces.
The netizens, however, believe that Farooq Abdullah was responsible for all the events that caused the mass exodus of the minority community and the beginning of terrorism in the Valley.
Many even raised questions over Abdullah’s intention over Kashmiri Hindus. One of the Twitter user questions, “Farooq Abdullah has a lot to answer: 1) Did he cheat Kashmiris and rig the 1987 elections? 2) What were his links with the terror group JKLF? 3) What was the communication between him and Home Minister Mufti Sayeed after which he resigned? 4) Why did he resign amidst the Pandit genocide?”
Farooq Abdullah has a lot to answer:
1) Did he cheat Kashmiris and rig 1987 elections?
2) What were his links with terror group JKLF?
3) What was the communication between him and Home Minister Mufti Sayeed after which he resigned?
4) Why did he resign amidst Pandit genocide?
— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) March 18, 2022
As in the records, Farooq Abdullah was the Chief Minister from November 7, 1986, to January 18, 1990. It was this time that saw Kashmir slowly falling down the ridge, and despite warnings by intelligence agencies, the mediocrity seemed impossible.
Starting from February 1986, enormous communal attacks took place in South Kashmir. Islamic groups looted and destroyed the properties and temples of Kashmiri Pandits.
Rajiv Gandhi and Farooq Abdullah’s accord
Before Abdullah, Ghulam Mohammad Shah, the brother-in-law of Farooq Abdullah, was the Chief Minister. However, he failed to restrain the brutality and called in the army to control the devastation.
Later, his government was dismissed in March 1986 by the then Governor Jagmohan. It was reported that Mufti Sayeed, then a Congress leader, had initiated the violence as he was keen to be the Chief Minister and replace Shah.
But, Rajiv Gandhi the then Prime Minister, gave Sayeed a seat in the Rajya Sabha and also made him a Union Minister. In November 1986, after months of hectic meetings, Rajiv Gandhi and Farooq Abdullah signed an accord and the latter was reinstated as the Chief Minister.
Since then a lot of crimes such as kidnappings, torture were taking place, especially of the government employees, a maximum number of them were Kashmiri Pandits, but no action was taken.
70 Pakistan-trained terrorists released
Quite recently, former Jammu and Kashmir Police Director General of Police Shesh Paul Vaid accused the Congress government at the center in 1989 of the rise of terrorism in the country.
Sharing the incident on Twitter, SP Vaid said that not many people in the country know the fact that the first batch of 70 terrorists trained by ISI was arrested by Jammu and Kashmir Police. The former cop disclosed that the ill-thought political decision by the then Jammu and Kashmir government led by Farooq Abdullah had got these terrorists released, who went on to lead many terrorist organizations in the erstwhile state.
Many people in the country do NOT know this #KashmirFiles fact: first batch of 70 terrorists trained by ISI were arrested by J&K Police but ill-thought political decision had them released & same terrorists later on lead the many terrorist organizations in J&K. #KashmirFilesTruth
— Shesh Paul Vaid (@spvaid) March 16, 2022
Mufti Sayeed in 1990
The chief of Global Kashmiri Pandit Diaspora, Surinder Kaul said, “After we were forced to exit from Kashmir, we started protests. I remember one meeting with then Home Minister Mufti Sayeed in 1990. All he had to say was ‘yes, this is not ok’.
“He had no answers. We told him, ‘why the local police and intelligence network had just disappeared. Why was no one doing their work? Why was there no security? But he just kept quiet. That day I learned that the state and Central power system of our country had collapsed and no one was there to help us.”
“Farooq Abdullah has a double face. He speaks one thing in Delhi and another in Kashmir. He never delivered good governance. He promoted self-respect and never worked for the common people. To keep his intensity alive, he divided the communities. When Kashmiri Pandits were being killed, mutilated, women were gang-raped, loot and destruction had become severe, where was he,” Kaul asked.
It is till today Kashmiri Pandits feel that if Farooq Abdullah had taken strong steps, Kashmir would not have fallen into the hands of terrorism, and the minorities would not have been tortured and forced out.
After all the things that have happened, many Hindus especially from Kashmir are seeking justice and want a judicial committee to be formed and Farooq Abdullah to be the first one to be investigated.
