Why did many Kashmiri Pandits leave the Vale of Kashmir in the early 1990s?

In the early 1990s, many Kashmiri Pandits—the Hindu residents native to the Vale of Kashmir—were forced to flee the region in a mass exodus. This migration was the direct result of targeted violence and threats directed at the community by militant separatist groups.12

During the late 1980s and early 1990s, militancy in the region evolved into a full-scale insurgency as various groups sought to resist control by the Indian government. The persecution of Kashmiri Pandits became a central feature of this period, with organizations such as Hizb ul-Mujahideen playing a pivotal role in their expulsion. The targeting of civilians by these militant groups created an environment of fear and insecurity, ultimately compelling the Kashmiri Pandit population to leave their homes.321