17-year-old flogged Swat girl is not Taliban’s only victim in recent past

17-year-old flogged Swat girl is not Taliban’s only victim in recent past–>

Sat, Apr 4 03:05 PM

Peshawar, Apr. 4 (ANI): The videotaped footage showing a teenaged girl being whipped by the Taliban wasn’t the only barbaric instance of this sort by the radicals in the recent past.

Last year, the Swat Taliban awarded punishment of public flogging to about 25 men and 50 women, after the Pakistan Government authorized the militant group to hold courts and deliver justice.

In an incident that took place in October last year, a woman and her father-in-law were flogged in Ser-Taligram village near Manglawar for allegedly having illicit relations.

The woman had been divorced by her husband, but her father-in-law kept her in his house.

On Friday, various TV channels aired footage of 17-year-old girl’s whipping by Talibani militants, which was reportedly filmed by someone with a mobile phone.

“To be honest, we didn’t want to send it to our TV channels for use due to fear of Taliban and also on account of concern that this would bring a bad name to Swat and endanger the peace accord,” The News quoted a local TV channel reporter, as saying.

The girl belonged to Kala Killay village in Kabal tehsil, who was accused of having a relationship with an electrician.

The Taliban spokesman in Swat, Muslim Khan, apparently mixed up the two incidents of public lashing of women in Swat on Taliban orders, by saying that the girl videotaped during her canning was convicted of having illicit relations with her father-in-law.

But the fact that remains unchanged is that Taliban courts punished the two women.

Among the other cases, Taliban publicly whipped two butchers in Ningolay village for selling meat of dead animals. They also awarded lashes to two men in the same village for committing unnatural sexual offences.

Two Taliban fighters were also publicly whipped 40 times each in Bar Thana village in Matta tehsil after being found guilty by a Shariah court for extorting 360,000 rupees from a goldsmith hailing from Chupriyal village. (ANI)

ANI

Islamic Terrorism and Genocide of Kashmiri Pandits

Genocide in Kashmir

• 400,000 Kashmiri Pandits, constituting 99% of the total population of Hindus living in Muslim majority area of the Kashmir Valley, were forcibly pushed out of the Valley by Muslim terrorists, trained in Pakistan, since the end of 1989. They have been forced to live the life of exiles in their own country, outside their homeland, by unleashing a systematic campaign of terror, murder, loot and arson.
• Genocide of Kashmiri Pandits has reached its climax with Muslim terrorism succeeding in ‘CLEANSING’ the valley of this ancient ethno-religious community.
• With the completion of 11th year of their forced exile, this peace loving, culturally rich community with a history of more than 5000 years, is fighting a grim battle to save itself from becoming extinct as a distinct race and culture.

Main Camp Sites in Jammu

• Muthi Camp, Jammu
• Transport Nagar, Jammu
• Purkhoo Camp, Jammu
• Stadium Camp, Jammu
• Jhiri Camp, Jammu
• Nagrota Camp, Jammu
• Mishriwala Camp, Jammu
• Battalbalian Camp, Udhampur

Main Camp Sites in Delhi

• Nandnagri
• Sultanpuri, Kailash Colony
• Maviya Nagar
• South Extension
• Palika Dham
• Lajpat Nagar
• Aliganj
• Bapu Dham
• Amar Colony
• Mangol Puri
• Patel Nagar
• Sultanpuri
• Moti Nagar
• Begampura

Kashmiri Pandits in Exile

 

 

Terrorist Violence against Kashmiri Pandits in Kashmir - Role of Pakistan

• Terrorism in Kashmir is an ideological struggle with specified political commitments which are fundamentalist and communal in character.

• Terrorist violence is aimed at achieving the disengagement of the state of Jammu and Kashmir from India and its annexation to Pakistan. It is, the continuation of the Islamic fundamentalist struggle for the homeland of Pakistan which claims Jammu and Kashmir state on account of its Muslim majority character. 

• The major dimension of the terrorist violence in Kashmir is the terrorists’ commitment to the extermination and subjugation of the Hindus in the state because Hindus do not subscribe to the idea of separation from India, nor do they expect to be governed by the authority of the state which derives its sanction from the law and precedent of Islam. Kashmiri Pandits (Hindus) have always been in the forefront of the struggle against secessionism, communalism and fundamentalism. Hence this peace loving minority with a modern outlook became the main victim of terrorist violence. The strategies involved in the terrorists’ operation against the Hindus in Kashmir include:

  • The extermination of Hindus

  • Subjecting Hindus to brutal torture to instill fear among them in order to achieve their submission.

  • To engineer a forced mass exodus of Hindus from the land of their ancestors and birth by way of issuing threatening letters, kidnappings and torture deaths on non-compllance of the terrorists’ dictates and ensure the destruction of the secular and pluralistic character of the socio-political fabric of the Kashmiri Society.

  • Attacks, molestations, kidnappings, gang rapes of the women folk of the Hindus in order to instil fear and humiliation in them.

  • Destruction and burning of the residential houses of the Hindus who leave their homes in look out for safety. Looting of their properties and appropriation of their business establishments to ensure that they do not return.

  • Attachment of their landed property.

  • Destruction of the social base of the Hindus by the desecration and destruction of their places of worship.

  • Appropriation of the property of the Hindu shrines and its attachment to Muslim religious endowments.

Fact sheet Of Atrocities On Kashmiri Pandits

Educational Institutions burnt, damaged forcefully occupied : 105 

Religious & Cultural Institutions Destroyed/burnt, damaged : 103 

Shops, Factories looted/burnt/occupied : 14,430 

Agriculture dependent families deprived of their land and source of income : 20,000 

Horticulture dependent families deprived of their resource : 12,500 

Houses Burnt : more than 20,000

Houses looted : 95%

Torture killings of Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley : more than 1,100

Religious Sadism At Its Peak

• Killing of Hindus in Jammu and Kashmir by terrorists clearly depicts extreme sadism. All victims have been subjected to extreme torture and terror.

• Torture deaths have been brought about by such inhuman practices as:

  • Strangulation by using steel wires

  • Hanging

  • Impailing

  • Branding with hot irons

  • Burning alive

  • Lynching

  • Bleeding to death

  • Gouging out of vital organs

  • Dismemberment of Human bodies

  • Drowning alive.

• Terrorists have frequently indulged in barbaric acts like performing ‘death dances’ after killing their target.

• Many a time, dead bodies were not even allowed to be properly cremated.

Universal Apathy

Failure of Government of India:

• The Jammu and Kashmir Government and Government of India have failed squarely to protect the Kashmiri Pandits against Islamic terrorism.

• Jammu and Kashmir being the only Muslim majority state in whole of India, the protection of minorities and their living peacefully, in their homeland, is crucial for India to remain as a Secular Democratic State.

• Ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Pandits (Hindus) from Kashmir valley is the crucial failure of Indian state to uphold its commitments to people of India as enshrined in Indian constitution which provides right to live with dignity and honour to every citizen irrespective of caste, creed, religion or colour.

Failure of Human Rights Organisations:

• Leading International Human Rights Organisations like Amnesty International, Asia Watch and others have yet to take proper cognisance of the genocide perpetrated on Kashmiri Pandits.

• Their representatives have so far failed to visit the camps in Jammu, Delhi and other parts of India were thousands of families are puting up for the last five years.

• Gradual extinction of a civilised community with an ancient culture is yet to shake the conscience of the world.

After The Exodus

• More than 5000 persons have died in camps and elsewhere after their forced exodus from the valley. They died of sunstrokes (more than 1000) as most of them were used to cold climate of Kashmir and could not acclimitize to extremely hot temperatures in rest of India.

• Heart attacks and accidents which have been mainly attributed to extreme psychological trau ma and mental pressures by the doctors.

• Gastroentritis and typhoid epidemics, snake bites etc. 

• The cohesiveness of the displaced families has broken as they were to undergo diaspora for finding livelihood in various parts of country.

• Cultural Dilution – The whole displaced community with a distinct culture is facing the threat of extinction after loosing its natural habitat.

Kashmiri Pandits

- Representatives of Glorious Heritage And Legacy of Kashmir

- Symbols of Brotherhood and Peace

• Kashmiri Pandits have always been devoted to spritual and academic pursuits. 

• They have during their history of more than 5000 years nurtured values of peace, co-existence and tolerance.

• They are the original inhabitants of Kashmir. 

• Kashmiri Pandits are progenitors of Kashmir Shaivism the philosophy of oneness of mankind.

• Hinyan and Sarvastivadin sects of Budhism found highest expression in Kashmir and Kashmiri Pandits spread their message to China and Central Asia. 

• Kashmiri Pandits have contributed immensely to the evolution of human thought by contributing to almost all fields of creative human endeavour like literature (mainly Sanskrit), language, science and philosophy from times immemorial.

• Since the advent of Islam in 14th century, Kashmiri Hindus have been subjected to extreme persecution. To escape religious fanaticism in the form of forced conversions to Islam they had either to embrace death or leave Kashmir more than once during the last six hundred years.

• Present exodus of Kashmiri Pandits is fourth mass exodus in the history of Kashmir since the advent of Islam in this part.

Kashmiri Pandit: A Rare Pocket Of Tolerance

• Inspite of repeated rejection of co-existence and pluralism by Muslim society for the last six hundred years, Kashmiri Pandit has not given up his faith in these values.

• He has not reciprocated fanaticism with fanaticism and violence with violence.

• In a world threatened with ethnic and religious strifes where various parties have invariably resorted to violence and force, to further their claims, Kashmiri Pandit isthe only example who has totally rejected the violence as a means to fulfill socio-political aspirations.

World therefore has a stake in protecting this culturally rich, educated and peace loving community, from becoming extinct, if it has to move towards a Modern World Order of Peace and Universal brotherhood. 

Terrorist violence cannot be justified on the ground of its political and ideological motivations or value basis. Terrorist violence in the valley is not a Freedom Struggle at all. Cleansing of Kashmiri Pandits from Kashmir is a clear testimony of this fact. There is no freedom which impringes upon freedom. There can be no equality which leads to inequality.

Killings of Kashmiri Pandits

Mrs. Ganju – Banamohalla, Srinagar

Prem Nath Bhat – Anantnag

Sushil Kotru – Rainawari, Srinagar

Mrs. Roopawati – Pulwama

Assam vows to fight back terror

Assam vows to fight back terror

Guwahati: Assam woke up Friday with a steely resolve to fight back terror with people anguished, but not shattered, over the serial bombings that killed 71 people and wounded 300 more Thursday.

“We need to fight terror hand in hand with the security forces and go about doing our normal work or else terrorists would get the upper hand,” said Jiban Kakoti, an elderly citizen, as he glanced through one of the blast sites in Assam’s main city of Guwahati while on his ritualistic morning walk.

It was a black Thursday for Assam with the state rocked by a wave of bombings – 12 blasts in quick succession – six in Guwahati, and the remaining six in the three western districts of Barpeta, Kokrajhar, and Bongaigaon.

“We are not going to be cowed down by terrorists. Not at all,” said Nirmal Gogoi, a young college student, with a determined look on his face as he made a quick survey of another blast site here.

Charred vegetables, twisted car metal and a carpet of shattered glass lay scattered in Ganesguri area in downtown Guwahati Friday morning.

“Oh God, this is unbelievable, heartbreaking,” cried a young businessman in the area who was consoled by some of his friends to pluck courage to fight back terror.

“I feel like I am lost. Everything is gone,” said the businessman who lost two of his friends in Thursday’s terror run in the city.

Medics, firefighters, police and soldiers worked throughout the night attending to scores of survivors.

“We are doing our best to help the injured although the condition of many of the victims is critical,” said a doctor at the Guwahati Medical College Hospital.

Elsewhere in the state where terrorists struck with a vengeance, people pledged to fight terror by coming out to start the day.

“Life has to go on and we cannot simply stay inside,” said Bishiram Bodo, a community elder in Kokrajhar.

Blackened grocery items showed the fierceness of the fire the blast ignited, and a few bicycles and cars still smoldered Friday as people surveyed the area and spat venom at the dastardly act of terror.

“The government should catch hold of the culprits and hang them,” said a visibly angry Nupur Sharma, a retired police official, in Barpeta district.

While there was anger in the eyes of the people, police investigators were trying to piece together evidence from the blast sites.

“We cannot comment on anything now,” said a National Security Guards (NSG) detective in Guwahati. A seven-member elite NSG team arrived Thursday evening to help in the investigations.

“We are determined to fight back and ensure security to the people of Assam,” said Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.

Home Minister Shivraj Patil is arriving in Guwahati later Friday to take stock of the situation.

Source: Indo-Asian News Service

CURRICULUM OR HATE LITERATURE? : DR FARRUKH SALEEM

Pakistan has 16,059 high schools and at least 10,000 madrasas.The total high school student population stands at 1.6 million while madrasa students are estimated at 1.5 million. The Federal Ministry of Education has a Curriculum Wing and each of the four provinces has a Textbook Board that prescribes books to be used by the high schools.

Pakistan’s madrasas, on the other hand, have the Pakistan Madrasa Education Board (PMEB) which has its own curriculum. And then we have the Deeni Madaris (Voluntary Registration Regulation) Ordinance, the text of which makes it clear that its prescriptions are not compulsory.

Since 9/11, our madrasas are being subjected to microscopic scrutiny. America’s Congressional Research Service alleges “ties between madrasas and terrorist organisation, such as al Qaeda” and asserts that these “religious schools promote Islamic extremism and militancy”. According to the International Crisis Group, the ‘independent, non-profit, multinational organisation, with over 100 staff members on five continents,’ “The international community has seen madrasas as schools of militancy and terrorism. Pressured to contain and reform its jihadi madrasas, Pakistani officials argue that there is no connection between madrasas and terrorism. The truth lies somewhere in between.”

High schools use books prescribed by their textbook boards while madrasas are largely on their own. The real truth about madrasas may indeed lie ‘somewhere in between’ but there is little denying that most promote a particular world-view based on ‘Alam-e-Islam’ and ‘Alam-e-Kufr’ (the ‘world of Islam’ and the ‘world of infidels’). As a consequence, most madrasa students come out believing that the clash between Islam and Kufr is not only ‘natural’ but ‘eternal’ as well.

A.H. Nayyar and Ahmed Salim compiled a 140-page report titled ‘The Subtle Subversion: The State of Curricula and Textbooks in Pakistan’ according to which the “themes of jihad and shahadat clearly distinguish the pre- and post-1979 educational contents.” The Report shows how post-1979 textbooks “openly eulogise jihad and shahadat and urge students to become mujahids and martyrs.” (SDPI, Islamabad, 2003, also available at www.sdpi.org)

It notes that the official Curriculum Document, Primary Education, Class K-V specifically prescribes “simple stories to urge jihad.” Under ‘Activity 4’, the prescription for three and eight-year old Pakistanis is “To make speeches on jihad and shahadat.”

Here is a sample collection of quotations that are part of Pakistan’s national curricula being taught at elementary, middle and high schools throughout the country:

01. “European nations have been working during the past three centuries, through conspiracies on naked aggression to subjugate the countries of the Muslim world.” — Social Studies, Class VII

02. “The foundation of Hindu set up was based on injustice and cruelty.” — Social Studies, Grade VI, page 100

03. “India is a neighbour of Pakistan. Both the countries ought to have good mutual relations but Bharat always maltreated Pakistan.” — Social Studies, Class IV, page 83

04. “India is our traditional enemy and we should always keep ourselves ready to defend our beloved country from Indian aggression.” — Social Studies, Class V, page 123

05. “The Hindus claim Harijans as their integrated part but deal with them in the same manner as they behave with Muslims and other communities.” — Social Studies, Class VI, page 54-55

05. “Children of Bharat: The religion has deep impact on children in Bharat. The Hindu, Muslim, Sikh and Christian children have their own separate identity. They also speak different languages.” — Social Studies, Class VI, page 63

06. “The Hindu children wear dhoti and kurta, while the Muslim children wear shalwar, pajama and kamiz. The Bharati children also like trousers and coat. Hindu children like to eat vegetables and pulses while the favourite food of the Muslim children is meat.” — Social Studies, Class VI, page 63

07. “The Impact of Islam in South Asia : Before the Arab conquest the people were fed up with the teachings of Buddhists and Hindus. The main cause was the benign treatment of Muslims with the Hindus. Due to this attitude Hindus began to love Muslims and they became nearer and nearer to Muslims.” — Social Studies, Class VI, page 97

08. “Some Jewish tribes also lived in Arabia. They lent money to workers and peasants on high rates of interest and usurped earning. They held the whole society in their tight grip because of the ever increasing compound interest.” — Social Studies, Class VII, page 13

09. “All the Christian countries united against the Muslims and sent large armies to attack the holy city of Jerusalem.” — Social Studies, Class VII, page 26

10. “During the Crusades, the Christians came in contact with the Muslims and learnt that the Muslim culture was far superior to their own.” — Social Studies, Class VII, page 28

11. “The Muslims of Pakistan provided all the facilities to the Hindus and the Sikhs who left for India. But the Hindus and the Sikhs looted the Muslims in India with both hands and they attacked their caravans, buses and railway trains. Therefore about one million Muslims were martyred on their way to Pakistan.” — Social Studies, Class IV, page 83

12. “Before Islam people lived in untold misery all over the world.” — Social Studies, Class VII, page 12

13. “Before the advent of Islam, ruthless, strong dictators usurped power and ruled people mercilessly.” — Social Studies, Class VII, page 89

What message is the Curriculum Wing of the Federal Ministry of Education sending out? Is the essence of the message any different from the madrasa’s world-view? Admittedly, the only two differences may be in the intensity of the message and perhaps the mode of expression of High School students as opposed to Madrasa graduates. Is this hate literature or curriculum?

The writer is an Islamabad-based freelance columnist

I now look forward to your views-comments.

P. S. : Kindly forgive me for asking a personal question. Are you a Grandson or “Grand-Nephew” of the Illustrious Late Sikander Hyat Khan Ji – The last Chief Minister of Undivided Punjab?
A well known person From Pok who has written this Article.

We Want Free Balwaristan

Serious human rights violations in POK
Author: Samuel Baid Publication: The Free Press Journal Date: April 30, 2004 URL: http://www.samachar.com/features/300404-features.html
The focus of debates on Kashmir at the annual meetings of United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva (UNCHR) has certainly changed over the past about 10 years. Ten years ago the Commission heard mainly what the Pakistan funded non-government organizations (NGOs) had to parrot about the right of self-determination of Kashmiris in the part of Kashmir that is on the Indian side of the Line of Control (LOC) and India’s alleged violations of human rights.
One remembers the furore the Prime Minister of Pakistan kicked off in March 1994 when she moved a resolution on alleged violations of human rights in Kashmir. Ms. Bhutto had hoped that at least Muslim countries would support this resolution. Pakistan had to withdraw it because no support came from the Muslim countries. This was a serious setback to Pakistan’s diplomacy. But worse was the fact that since Pakistan was not willing to stop trans-LoC terrorism, it began to lose its credibility in the world community specially after the killing of some tourists in Kashmir in 1995 by Al Faran, which was really Pak-based Harkatul Ansar. The report of these killings came when the Sub-Commission of the UNCHR was in session in Geneva. The delegates were shocked. Some of them very vehemently spoke against demand, such as the right of self- determination when national boundaries had already been settled.
There were a number of young who had run away from occupied Kashmir. They also attended the session but were too afraid to tell the UNCHR about inhuman conditions in their part of Kashmir. They whispered to this writer that Kashmiris in “Azad” Kashmir and Gilgit and Baltistan were treated as serfs by Pakistan. Gilgit and Baltistan are parts of that region in occupied Kashmir, which Pakistan calls its Northern Areas but is not willing to give the locals any constitutional identity and civil rights. Any body protesting against this treatment would be called an Indian agent and then he would disappear, they said. They were not exaggerating. A Belgian human rights activist Ms. Claire Galez who had visited “Azad” Kashmir with the permission of Sardar Abdul Qayyum, had shocked delegates (in 1994) by her tales of human rights violations in “Azad” Kashmir. She told this writer that she had been threatened of dire consequences by some Pakistani supporters after she spoke out the truth before the delegates.
But Kashmiris from occupied Kashmir have taken some time to pluck courage and rubbish Pakistan’s demand for self-determination for them. At the 60th session of the UNCHR, which started on March 15 and finished on April 23, 2004, the Commission heard a number of representations from Kashmiris from occupied Kashmir. In his intervention on behalf of European Union of Public Relations, Mumtaz Khan said the demand for the right of self-determination for Kashmiris was hypocritical because Pakistan, through its imposed constitution of 1974, has already provided for pre-determination in favour of Pakistan. The said constitution says: “No person or political party in Azad Kashmir shall be permitted to propagate against, or take part in activities prejudicial or detrimental to, the ideology of the State” accession to Pakistan.” He requested the Commission to examine the human rights situation in “Azad” Kashmir and Gilgit and Baltistan. The Secretary General of International Kashmir Alliance (IKA) Sardar Shaukat Ali Kashmir, who also intervened on behalf of the European Union of Public Relations gave details of human rights violations in occupied Kashmir where 4.2 million people lived in subjugation. He made the following points :
a) In these inaccessible areas, away from the gaze of the international community, the security forces and intelligence agencies of Pakistan continue to violate the locals’ human rights.
b) The people of occupied Kashmir are deliberately kept in illiteracy, ignorance, poverty and backwardness. These problems have been compounded by the infiltration of jehadi outfits by Pakistan. The students who go out to Pakistani cities for education get no job when they come back.
c) Despite so-called elections in “Azad” Kashmir, it is the Chief Secretary and Inspector General of Police who are the defacto rulers.
d) Political workers are constantly persecuted.
e) There is no economic development.
f) No proper educational facilities.
g) The construction of the Mangla Dam rendered 100,000 people homeless. They have not yet been given any compensation. The state is denied royalty from this Dam.
h) The people of occupied Kashmir are forced to only listen to Pakistani propaganda on its official radio and TV.
i) The ISI has made Gilgit and Baltistan a safe haven for international terrorists. Speaking for Afro-Asian Peoples’ solidarity organization (AAPSO), Amir Shah said “Religious discrimination has been sought to be institutionalised by manipulating the school syllabus and deleting all references to the Shia tradition. Students protesting against the imposition of this biased syllabus have been beaten up and jailed.”
Gul Nawaz Khan who spoke on behalf of the Interfaith International related stories of atrocities on the population in Gilgit and Baltistan alleged that the Sunni majority in Pakistan had tried to “sunnise” education through its Ministry of Kashmir Affairs.
Human rights activists such as Haider Shah Rizvi and Basharat Shafi of Balwaristan National Front (BNF) have remained detained for more than one year on fabricated charges of sedition. Other prominent leaders such as Nawaz Khan Naji of Balwaristan National Front, Ghazi Anwar Khan of the Karakoram National Movement and Shafqat Ali Inqalabi of the Karakoram Students Organisation have also been subjected to intimidation and harassment and attempts made on their lives by Pakistani agencies. Similar views were expressed by Dr. Shabir Choudhry, spokesman of the International Kashmir Alliance and chairman of Diplomatic Committee, JKLF, UK and Europe who had recently visited Gilgit and Baltistan. The “Azad” Kashmir High Court in 1993 had ordered that Northern Areas be reverted to “Azad” Kashmir as they were not part of Pakistan.
This view was upheld by the Supreme Court of Pakistan in May 1999. These judgments also called upon Pakistan to ensure that people of Northern Areas enjoy their fundamental rights, including right to be governed by their chosen representatives. But so far Pakistan has not shown any inclination to obey these orders.

By Shafqat Inqalabi  

A UNIQUE EXHIBITION ON TERRORISM UNLEASHED

François Gautier

Source: Kashmir herald

 

Do you know the FACTS about Kashmir?

Over 400,000 Kashmiri Pandits, constituting 99% of the total population of Hindus living in the Kashmir Valley, have been forcibly pushed out of the Valley by terrorists. Since 1989, they have been forced to live the life of exiles in their own country. Terrorism has unleashed in Kashmir a systematic campaign of terror, murder, loot, arson and rape against Hindus in Kashmir. About 70,000 of them still languish in makeshift refugee camps in Jammu and Delhi. Scores of temples in Kashmir have been desecrated, destroyed, looted. More than 900 educational institutions have been attacked by terrorists. Properties of Pandits have been vandalized, businesses destroyed or taken over, even hospitals have not been spared.

Did you know that this huge human tragedy is taking place in Free India?

Kashmir was known as “Sharda Peeth” , the abode of learning. Now the Pandits, the original inhabitants, have been forced to flee. 5000 years of civilization is at stake. THE ROLE OF PAKISTAN IN KASHMIRI TERROR is clear: Terrorism in Kashmir is an ideological struggle with specific fundamentalist and communal Agenda.

 

Terrorist violence aims at the disengagement of the state of Jammu and Kashmir from India and its annexation to Pakistan. It is a continuation of the Islamic fundamentalist struggle. The major dimension of terrorist violence in Kashmir is the terrorists’ commitment to the extermination and subjugation of the Hindus in the state, because Hindus do not subscribe to the idea of separation from India, nor will they allow governance by the tenets of Islam. Kashmiri Pandits have always been in the forefront of the struggle against secessionism, communalism and fundamentalism. Hence this peace loving minority with a progressive outlook became the main victim of terrorist violence.  The strategies involved in the terrorists’ operation against the Hindus in Kashmir are simple:

 

- The extermination of Hindus, i.e., subjecting Hindus to brutal torture, to instill fear among them in order to achieve their submission.

- To engineer a forced mass exodus of Hindus from the land of their ancestors by way of issuing threatening letters, kidnappings and torture deaths on non-compliance of the terrorists’ dictates and ensure the destruction of the secular and pluralistic character of Kashmiri Society.

- Attacks, molestations, kidnappings, gang rapes of the women folk of the Hindu Pandits to instill fear and humiliation.

- Destruction and burning of residential houses of the Hindus who have been compelled to abandon their homes.

- Looting of their properties and appropriation of their business establishments are undertaken to ensure that they do not return.

- Attachment of the ancestral and landed property of Pandits. Destruction of the social and religious institutions of the Hindus by the desecration and destruction of their places of worship.

- Appropriation of the property of the Hindu shrines.

BURNING BOOKS, LOOTING OF CULTURE is also a very important part of the plan. Kashmir was the crucible of Knowledge, Spirituality, a hallowed centre of learning and the cradle of Shivaism. Kashmiri Pandits excelled in philosophy, aesthetics, poetics, sculpture, architecture, mathematics, astronomy and astrology. Sanskrit was studied, propagated and spoken by women and men. Scholars and saints such as Kalhan, Jonraj, Srivar, Abhinavgupta, Somanand, Utpaldev, Somdev and Kshemendra created here an intellectual centre of unrivalled repute. Fundamentalism and terrorism have been ruthless in their assault on “Sharda Peeth”, zealous in ravaging its heritage, and consistent only in bloodthirsty intolerance. The destruction of Hindu places of worship, forced conversions of Pandits and death and ignominy to those who resisted, were accompanied by a savage assault on literary activity. This process has been going on since centuries.

Commencing 1998, the assault on learning began afresh. How else to erase 5000 years of civilization? The Jammaat-i-Islami, a fundamentalist organization, launched a campaign to ransack libraries in the educational institutions and flared ban on books which did not correspond to their ideas about man, world and God. The Kashmir university funded by the University Grants Commission and headed by the Governor of the state was denuded of two thousand books including the works of Milton, G.B. Shaw, Shakespeare, H.G. Wells and tomes on Hindu Philosophy. Book-shops were looted in broad daylight at Batamaloo, Srinagar. The library of the Information Centre run by Government of India was looted and set on fire.

As a correspondent covering India for more than 20 years, I have witnessed the terrible damage that terrorism in Kashmir has inflicted upon people’s lives, their family, their culture, the very fabric of society, not only of the Kashmiri Pandits, but also of the Muslims of the Valley, who after all, are the victims too of Pakistan’s bloody designs.

Hence, with two journalist friends, we started a Foundation: FACT – Foundation Against Continuing Terrorism. The first task of FACT has been to mount an exhibition on terrorism, focusing on the plight of the Kashmiri Pandits, so that the people of India who do not suffer directly from terrorism understand what it does to others.

We need your support and we invite all of you, whatever your class, caste, religion, or ethnic origin, to come and witness it. Come and see the FACTS. Later, we would like this exhibition to travel not only to all major India cities, but also to the United States, England, France and Switzerland, so that the world understands what India has been going through in the last fifty years.