Threatening Letters Targeting Kashmiri Pandits Surface on Social Media, Reigniting Fear

Letters threatening Kashmiri Pandits, the Hindu minority in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), have surfaced on social media, sparking widespread panic within the community. These missives have revived memories of the "hit lists" and assassinations that forced an estimated 350,000 Pandits to flee the Kashmir valley in the early 1990s. Three letters, all issued in the name of the United Liberation Council (ULC), described as a front organization of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, have appeared on social media. The most recent letter, dated August 27, is explicitly linked to the Indian government's reopening of investigations into the massacre of Pandits by Islamist militants during the height of the anti-India militancy in the 1990s. The ULC letter stated: "If the SIA [State Investigation Agency of J&K] or any other agency is so eager to reopen closed cases involving migrant Pandits, they should also investigate cases like Bijebehara, Gawkadal, Sopore, Handwara, etc., where the so-called Indian mercenary security forces deliberately opened fire on innocent Kashmiris." It ominously added, "We will slaughter all those involved in these crimes no matter how much security they have." The first letter, dated August 7, named six Pandits working in the J&K government's revenue department and included their cell phone numbers, calling on them to "change their ways." The second letter, dated August 23, named six more Pandits and provided their residential addresses, including house and street numbers, describing them as "white collar terrorists" and "traitors" working for their "masters" in Delhi. The letter's contents were ominous: "Wherever you are and wherever you go, we are watching your every move." Kashmiri Pandits are indigenous to the Muslim-dominated Kashmir valley. At the start of the militancy in 1989-1990, several Pandits were assassinated. While militants claimed they were killed for their links to the Indian state, the rising tide of Islamism in Kashmir instilled immense fear among the Pandits, who were reportedly given the choice to convert to Islam or leave the valley. Consequently, around 70,000 Pandit families, comprising over 350,000 individuals, fled the valley. In an article for The Diplomat in 2020, Ashok Dhar, a Pandit who formerly lived in Baramulla, recalled the events of 1989-90, stating, "It was evident that Kashmiri Muslims wanted us to leave the Valley." He recounted that militant groups like the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front and the Hizbul Mujahideen issued "hit lists" of Pandits to be eliminated, and anti-Pandit slogans were shouted in mosques and at rallies. "They wanted sharia rule in Kashmir," Dhar said, adding that Pandits were given the choice to convert to Islam or leave. Most Pandits who left the Kashmir valley were housed in migrant camps in Jammu and Delhi, with many settling in other Indian cities. Few have returned. The ULC's letters distinguish between those who remained in the valley and those who left, targeting the latter. While Pandits in the valley were largely unharmed for decades, Islamist militants have periodically targeted the community. The Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen massacred 23 Pandits, including four children, at Wandhama in 1997 and another 24 Pandits, including two children, at Nadimarg in 2003. Memories of this terror remain deeply etched. Dhar, now living in Bengaluru, told The Diplomat that the ULC's lists are "no different from the hit lists of 1990." Since 2008, when a rehabilitation package was announced, New Delhi has offered government jobs, cash doles, accommodation, and security to returning Pandits, but this has not been enough to convince large numbers to return. Continuing attacks, such as the October 2021 killing of a pharmacist who remained in Srinagar, keep the community on edge. Despite government security, Pandits living in clusters fear being easy targets for militants. New Delhi has recently reopened investigations into several high-profile murders and massacres by militant groups, including the rape and murder of Sarla Bhat and the Wandhama massacre. These investigations aim to meet the demands of Kashmiri Pandit organizations for justice but risk reopening old wounds. They may also prompt Kashmiri Muslims to demand justice for incidents of mass killings by Indian security forces, as alluded to in the ULC's third letter. The ULC appears to be positioning itself as a guardian of Kashmiri Muslim interests. However, as Dhar noted, "Kashmiris, even the Muslims, are unlikely to be impressed as they have suffered for decades, even as the militant groups operated from the safety of camps in Pakistan." The recent killings of two non-Kashmiri Indian laborers on July 31 were seen by analysts as militants targeting "soft targets" due to their inability to confront India's security forces. The targeting of Pandit civilians is another example of militants asserting their presence by intimidating unarmed people. Should these letters prompt Pandits to leave again, it would significantly undermine New Delhi's efforts to normalize the situation in J&K. Source: The Diplomat Indonesia