[1][2] He was appointed as governor of the Kashmir province in 1671 and is said to have enacted discriminatory policies, on the orders of Aurangzeb, against the local Hindus of Kashmir, including destruction of Hindu temples, indiscriminate killings, and forced conversions.

[1][2][3] Many girls and women from the Kashmiri Hindu community were seized for the Islamic harems during his governorship period.

[1][2][4] According to traditional lore, after the appeal made to Shiva at Amarnath, one of the participating Kashmiri Pundits had a dream of Shiva instructing the group to seek assistance from the ninth Sikh guru, Tegh Bahadur, to put a stop to the oppression.

[1][2][4] This was taken by the group as a divine sign from Shiva to seek the assistance of the Sikhs.

[1][2][4] A delegation of around five hundred Kashmiri Pundits, led by Pundit Kirpa Ram, sought the Guru's help at Anandpur Sahib and detailed the genocidal policies enacted against the Hindus of Kashmir under the governorship of Iftikhar Khan.