During approximately the same time period, 1986-1992, 91 Hindu temples in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir were subjected to destruction, grenade and rocket attacks, arson, and ransacking by Pakistan-backed Islamic militants (Navbharat Times, Feb. 13, 1993, details available at KIN web site. That this series of events targeted at Hindu religious heritage in majority-Hindu India did not have any repercussions in the rest of India and is barely acknowledged outside the state is a testament to India's uniquely secular make-up.

There is no question that violence directed against life or property of any ethnic group is unacceptable around the world. The continuing debate over the Babri Masjid incident, however, overlooks much of the reality in modern India. While destruction of one mosque can never be condoned by the civilized world, the much more widespread destruction and attacks on countless Hindu temples can not continue to be ignored. The forces behind these attacks have gone largely unpunished and even unrecognized in the six years hence. To this day it is not possible for a Hindu to live a normal, terror-free life in much of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Little is heard around the world about nearly 300,000 Kashmiri Pandits who were driven out of their home state even as their temples, houses and schools were being destroyed. On the other hand destruction of one Babri Masjid has never been forgotten in India and around the world. Undoubtedly Indian "secularism" has contributed heavily to this gross imbalance.

Kashmir Information Network starting maintaining statistics regarding civilian deaths and has noted about 118 killings of non-combatants in Jammu and Kashmir by Pakistan-supported militants during the period Nov. 1st to Dec. 15th, 1998 (see Kashmir Terrorism Bulletin), versus about 5 suspected killings by members of Indian security forces or pro-government militias in the same time period. These statistics depict a cold and lucid fact: it is infiltrators from Pakistan who are playing havoc with human rights in the region. The excesses by Indian security forces are negligible in comparison and are not unexpected in the course of deadly, daily battles with fundamentalist Islamic warriors, many of whom are foreigners and who regularly target local civilians, politicians and even ex-militants who dare to try and lead a normal, non-violent life.

While the occasional human rights abuse by Indian security forces is certainly unacceptable and is immediately referred to the state and national human rights commission, the much more pervasive human rights abuses by Pakistan-supported and armed militants continue with no recourse of such victims to justice. Lord Avebury, a leading British human rights figure, came to this realization during his first visit to the region recently (Kashmir Chronicle, Vol.1, No. 11). Lord Avebury understood that the APHC did not represent the wishes of the entire Kashmiri population, or even the whole Muslim population of the state, and characterized its approach as unrealistic and "totally fantastic". The veteran British parliamentarian has called upon the APHC to instead participate in elections if it wants to achieve legitimacy with the local population.