Farooq Abdullah was the Chief Minister from November 7, 1986 to January 18, 1990. It was this period which saw Kashmir rise in Islamic extremism. In February 1986, massive communal attacks occurred in South Kashmir. Muslim mobs plundered or destroyed the properties and temples of Kashmiri Pandits. Ghulam Mohammad Shah, the brother-in-law of Farooq Abdullah, was the Chief Minister then. He failed to curb the violence. His government was dismissed in March 1986 by the then Governor Jagmohan. It was reported that Mufti Sayeed, then a Congress leader, had instigated the violence as he was keen to be the Chief Minister and replace Shah . Rajiv Gandhi was the Prime Minister then who later gave Mufti Sayeed a seat in the Rajya Sabha and also made him a Union Minister. In November 1986, after months of hectic parleys, Rajiv Gandhi and Farooq Abdullah signed an accord and the latter was reinstated as the Chief Minister. It was this period that saw the build up to...
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