19th Jan 1990- When that cold dark night brought the worst nightmare to Kashmiri Pandit community living in Kashmir. Kashmir had been simmering for quite some time but last few months it had reached the boiling point with mosques blaring Azadi slogans and pamphlets being stuck outside Pandit houses. 

The message- 

Kashmir me rehna hai to Allah o Akbar kehna hoga

(If you want to live in Kashmir you have to say Allah o Akbar)

Asi gachi Pakistan bata ros ta batanev san

(We want Pakistan with Kashmiri Hindu women and without their men)

Yahan kya chalega, nizam e mustafa

(Prophets governance will be here)

Islam hamara maqsad hai, Quran hamara dastoor hai, jihad hamara raasta hai

(Islam is our destination, Quran is our constitution and Jihad is our way)

 And many more such highly provocative and threatening slogans were pasted on walls across the valley.

Panic stricken Pandit families knew if they had to live they have to leave their home, their homeland and that too if they can make it through fanaticism roaming on the streets. Community was already living under shadow of fear after the gruesome killing of Tika Laal Taploo and few others. This was not the first but the seventh exodus this community was facing.

Around 1300AD during the reign of Suhadev, many Muslim travelers had come to Kashmir like Bulbul Shah, Shahmir and Lankar Chak, who later played a major role in establishing Muslim rule in Kashmir. During Suhadev's reign Kashmir was invaded and ravaged by Dulucha. Suhadev fled to Kishtwar leaving his people to be killed and kingdom trampled. Dulucha went back after ten months and took 50,000 Brahmins as slaves with himself. Rinchana who had come from Tibet took over Suhadev's kingdom and ruled till 1326 AD. Rinchana wanted to convert from Buddhism to Hinduism and be called Brahmin, but Brahmins refused to do so. Shahmir and Bulbul Shah used this opportunity and made him accept Islam and Rinchan became Sultan Sadruddin. That's how Muslim rule started in Kashmir. It also started the conversion of subordinate castes into Islam. After Rinchana's death, Udayanadev brother of Suhadev was made the king and Shahmir was appointed the chief commander. 

Kashmir was then invaded by Achala from Turkey and this time again the king of Kashmir fled to Tibet leaving his people once again to invaders’ mercy. Kota Rani was first married to Rinchan, and then to Udayanadev after Rinchan was assassinated. When Achala attacked and Udayanadev fled to Tibet, Kota Rani faced him and saved Kashmir with the help of Shahmir. This strengthened Shahmir’s position in the kingdom. What followed was treacherous struggle of tolerant Hinduism against militant Islam, and the first exodus of Kashmiri Pandits. 

Under Shahmir and subsequent Muslim rulers there were rules laid down against Hindus- Hindu temples and shrines will not be repaired, they will not ride harnessed horses or possess any arms, they will not wear any expensive ornament or jewelry, they will not keep idols or pictures of idols, they will not stay in Muslim locality, but any Muslim traveler seeking shelter in their houses or temples shall be treated as guest, they have to leave any function or assembly if a Muslim enters, they cannot perform last rites of their dead next to Muslim graveyard and their dresses shall be different than Muslims. This was not all, temples of Hindus were wrecked to create an atmosphere of terror amongst Pandits, who eventually started leaving their homeland. Some chose conversion and these newly converts were even worse. Suha Bhatt who became Saifuddin after conversion, spearheaded this crusade against "kaafirs" of forceful conversion under Sikandar Butshikan. 

Butshikan was the sixth sultan of Shahmir dynasty and is known for his Jihad against non Muslims which included forced conversion, bloodshed, destruction of numerous temples and Hindu shrines, strict prohibition of Hindu rituals and ceremonies. Hindus were prohibited from wearing "tilak", their sacred thread "Janeyu" was burnt. Hindu scriptures and books were burnt or buried. He also established Sheikh-ul-Islam- title given to muftis who would read out fatwas and manage other religious affairs. It was Sikander Butshakins reign in Kashmir saw Sufi warriors headed by Mir Mohammad Hamdani who stimulated the Islamic fanaticism of Butshakin. Every Hindu temple was destroyed, gold and silver idols of deities melted, stone idols broken and thrown away. The only temple he could never break was the Martand Temple. Despite numerous attempts when he failed, he dug out its base, filled it with wood and set fire. From the base of Martand Temple a copper plate was found which had inscription of a Hindu Prophet saying after eleven hundred years a king named Sikander will destroy this temple. Butshikan went down history pages as the "destroyer of idols". Pandits either migrated or consumed poison and some converted to Islam.

After Butshikan's death his son Ali Shah took over and quite successfully carried forward his tyrant father’s rule of terror. Gruesome killing of non-Muslims, forced conversions, enforced Jazia on Pandits, all of these not just continued but got compounded under him. Ali Shah went one step further and deployed killer squads on streets leading out of Kashmir so that Pandits don't flee. He didn't want them to flee and continue with their religion elsewhere. Pandits who couldn't flee would self-immolate to escape torture and forced conversion. Ali Shahs reign brought the second exodus of Kashmiri Pandits.

Around 1480 AD Mir Shamsuddin Iraqi visited Kashmir to spread Islam. Initially he tried to keep conversion methods peaceful but seeing strong resistance from Pandits, he too unleashed terror with the help of his initial convert Malik Musa Raina. This time along with non-Muslims even Sunnis were forced to embrace Shia sect. It's believed he converted more than 25000 non Muslims. Every day hundreds of Pandits would be brought to him, he would burn their Janeyu and force them to say kalma. They would be forcefully circumcised and made to eat beef. Once again Hindu temples were destroyed and sacred texts burnt. This was the third exodus of Kashmiri Pandits. 

The fourth Pandit exodus happened under Mughal king Aurangzeb when almost 50,000 Pandits left their homeland one more time. Aurangzeb wanted to convert entire India to Islam and he started with targeting and eliminating Hindu scholars. Kashmir was always known as a prominent seat of learning. Aurangzeb appointed his most cruel and atrocious commanders as governors in Kashmir for his goal of complete Islamization. Those who couldn't bear his tyranny converted and thousands fled Kashmir. It was during this time that Kashmiri Pandits approached Guru Teg Bahadur and pleaded for help. Guru Teg Bahadur promised to help them and went to Aurangzeb where he was captured and tortured for weeks. He was given the choice to convert and he shall be pardoned, but Guru Teg Bahadur refused. He was beheaded in front of public on 11th November 1675 in Chandni Chowk Delhi. His associate Bhai Dayal Das was thrown in boiling water and Bhai Mati Das was sawed into pieces. 

Fifth Kashmiri Pandit exodus happened under the reign of Mullah Abdul Nabi who was appointed Shaikhul Islam, a practice started by Butshikan. This brought back the rules set by Shahmir for non-Muslims. Abdul Nabi unleashed the same terror as practiced by Butshikan and his successors. Pandits began fleeing Kashmir and took refuge in remote mountains. 

Kashmiri Pandits faced their sixth exodus under Afghan rule around 1753 AD to 1819 AD. Afghan rule was another reign of brutal tyranny. These barbaric afghans would tie Pandits in grass sacks and drown them in the Dal Lake. Hindu girls were picked up and raped. Hindu parents would shave the heads of their girls so that their beauty doesn't catch attention of Afghans. Pandits were made to stand with earthen pot filled with excreta and Muslim kids were made to stone that pot till it broke and the Pandit would get drenched in filth.

19th Jan 1990 when Kashmiri pandits were forced to flee their homeland for the seventh time and live in exile till today, seeds for it were sown way back, even before India gained independence. In the year 1931 there was a huge communal riot. Shops and houses of Kashmiri Pandits were ransacked and burnt down. With passing years it only got worse.