Auckland Couple Dr Primla and Veer Khar on the 35th Anniversary of the Kashmir Exodus
This story was updated at 9.15 pm NZT on Sunday, January 19, 2025
Video and Podcast to commemorate January 19, 1990
Join them at the Remembering the Exodus Day on Sunday, Jan 19, 2025 7 pm NZT
New Zealand Kashmir Pandit Online Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84516992310…
Meeting ID: 845 1699 2310; Passcode: 602312
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kdTrsfbJDc
Venkat Raman
Auckland, January 18, 2025
More than 700,000 people, who are a part of the Kashmir Hindu community (including the original inhabitants and their descendants), will solemnly remember that fateful day in 1990 when a large number of them and their forebears were forcibly removed from the Valley.
January 19, 2025 will mark the 35th anniversary of what is infamously known as ‘Kashmir Exodus Day,’ when more than 300,000 Hindus (some estimates are higher) were forced out of their homes by militant Muslims and forced to leave.
“Men were asked to leave the Kashmir Valley, and our lives were under serious threat,” Veer Khar, who left the Valley when Muslim militants told Indian Newslink.
“The militants said that Hindu women will not be allowed to leave,” he said.
Mr Veer and Dr Primla Khar migrated to New Zealand more than 26 years ago and during these three decades, have seen changes to their lifestyle, career and family. They are prosperous like many other migrants from India, but the scars from the Valley have not gone.
Both run successful careers – Mr Khar is an Engineering Consultant after an eventful career with Auckland Council and its various Organisations; Dr Primla is a General Practitioner at the Papakura East Medical Centre in South Auckland and as a Medical Educator at the Royal New Zealand College of General Practice.
Dr Primla has been a vocal advocate for the rights and recognition of Kashmiri Pandits. Together, they have worked tirelessly to ensure that the stories of the exodus and the plight of the Pandits are not forgotten
Both of them are deeply involved in community service which includes elderly care at the Indian Association Manukau New Zealand, which owns and manages its increasingly popular Diversity Centre in Papatoetoe, while its first property on Hillside Road in Manurewa is transforming itself into a modern, state-of-the-art Community Centre.
Dr Primla is a Past-President of the Association while Mr Khar is a Past and Current President.
“Like most of our brothers and sisters in the Kashmir Hindu community, we have come a long way since those years of torture and that day of massacre, but we would not like the ensuing generations to forget the past of the ancestors. That would even be a greater tragedy. For, knowledge of the past is imperative to perceive and shape the future,” they said.

The Exodus of 1990
On the night of January 19, 1990, the Kashmir Valley witnessed a coordinated campaign of terror against the minority Hindu population. Loudspeakers from Mosques blared threats, demanding that Hindus either convert to Islam, leave the valley, or face death.
This night of horror led to the mass migration of Kashmiri Pandits, who had no choice but to abandon their homes and seek refuge elsewhere.
By the middle of 1990, a majority of the Pandit community had fled the Valley, leaving behind their homes, properties, and a rich cultural heritage. The violence and threats resulted in the deaths of approximately 100 Pandits during the initial phase of the Exodus.
Destinations and Refuge
The displaced Pandits primarily sought refuge in other parts of India, with many settling in Jammu, Delhi, and other major cities.
“I was in Jammu then and can vividly remember our Hindu families arriving in large numbers from Kashmir. There was desperation, fear, anxiety, helplessness and a deep sense of loss among them. Anger and the determination to raise their voice came later,” Dr Primla said.
Mr Khar said that the sudden influx of refugees led to the establishment of makeshift camps, where living conditions were often dire.
“Over time, some Pandits managed to rebuild their lives, but the trauma of displacement and the loss of their homeland remains a constant shadow,” he said.
The Kashmiri Hindu community in New Zealand, though small, is vibrant and closely knit. They have established various cultural and religious organizations to preserve their heritage and support each other. The release of the film ‘The Kashmir Files’ sparked significant discussions within the community, highlighting the importance of acknowledging and remembering the events of 1990.
From our Archives
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Commemoration and Reflection
Mr Khar said that as the 35th anniversary of the Kashmir Exodus is commemorated, it is a time for reflection on the resilience of the Kashmiri Pandit community.
“Despite the immense challenges, many have managed to rebuild their lives and continue to contribute to their new communities. The anniversary also serves as a reminder of the need for justice and recognition for the atrocities committed against them,” he said.
The story of the Kashmir Exodus is not just a tale of suffering but also one of survival and hope. The experiences of individuals like Mr and Dr Khar, and the broader Kashmiri Hindu community in New Zealand, underscore the enduring spirit of those who were forced to leave their homeland but never lost their identity or their will to persevere.
Bob Blackman, the Conservative Party MP from Harrow East filed the following motion in the House of Commons recently:
“That this House commemorates with deep sadness and disappointment the 35th anniversary of the coordinated attacks in January 1990 by cross-border Islamic terrorists and their supporters on the minority Hindu population of Kashmir valley; expresses its condolences to its British Hindu citizens, whose friends and family were killed, raped, injured and who were displaced by force in this planned massacre; condemns the desecration of holy sites in Jammu and Kashmir; vows to protect the rights of Hindus in the UK, including the right to demand justice; is concerned that Kashmiri Hindu minority that fled persecution have still not seen justice or recognition of the atrocities committed against them in 35 years; deplores those sponsoring such cross-border terrorist attacks; is concerned that organisations supporting terror are thriving in the UK; notes that the international principle of responsibility to protect obliges individual States and the international community to take effective measures to prevent the commission of genocide and crimes against humanity as suffered by Kashmiri Hindus; urges the Government of India to fulfil its long-standing international commitment to recognise and acknowledge the genocide of Hindus in Jammu and Kashmir; further notes that properties belonging to the minority Hindu community in Kashmir continue to be occupied; calls on the Government of India to enact the proposed Panun Kashmir Genocide Crime Punishment and Atrocities Prevention Bill in the Indian Parliament, and further urges the UK Government to commemorate 19 January as Kashmiri Pandit Exodus Day.”
Mr Khar and Dr Primla would be spending the Exodus Day in prayer and perhaps in conversation with their fellow Kashmiri Hindus in New Zealand and overseas. He would certainly feel blessed to have nursed his ailing mother with love and care. She passed away on March 29, 2024.
“My mother and my motherland will always be a source of endearment, enrichment, encouragement and endurance,” he said.
Remembering the Exodus Day
New Zealand Kashmir Pandit Online Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84516992310…
Meeting ID: 845 1699 2310; Passcode: 602312
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kdTrsfbJDc