Kashmir Chronicle: KIN Newsletter Vol. 1, No. 2

Kashmir Chronicle

Monthly news bulletin of
Kashmir Information Network (KIN)

Vol. 1, No. 2

July 15, 1998

The New York Times on Kashmir: A missed opportunity

In recent articles, the New York Times (6-28-98, 7-8-98) has demonstrated a deep and broad-based lack of understanding about the region. One of the articles calls for "greater autonomy if not independence" in Kashmir, failing to recognize that 'independence' in the state will inevitably and rapidly dissolve into dominance by Pakistan and intolerant Islamic fundamentalism. Such a course would also give permanence to the ethnic cleansing of hundreds of thousands of Kashmiri Hindus that has been accomplished by Pakistani-supported militants and mercenaries. The article mentions the recent massacre of 24 people in Kashmir, but fails to note that this was just the latest in an ongoing string of horrors aimed exclusively at Kashmiri Hindus, and is part of the overall Pakistan-backed strategy of forcing a change in regional demography.

Whatever surveys the Times editors have cited in favor of independence did not cover the more than half of the voting population of the Indian state that has participated in local and national elections in recent years. Furthermore, it would be catastrophic for the substantial non-Muslim population of the state to agree to live under an intolerant Islamic regime which would deny them basic rights, assuming they are not driven out in a renewed wave of ethnic cleansing by Islamic mercenaries freed from the shackles of Indian multi-ethnic secularism.

Recent articles in the Washington Post (7-3-98, 7-9-98) recognize the frustration of many Kashmiri Muslims with Pakistani-fomented violence in the state, and document the Pakistani role. Many former Kashmiri Muslim militants now work with the Indian government in countering terrorism and mayhem being exported from across the border. The violence in the state is now being perpetrated to a large extent by Pakistani and Afghan mercenaries, and is sustained with arms flowing in freely from Pakistan. Ample incriminating evidence exists proving a central Pakistani hand behind the continuing atrocities. Such evidence has been presented in the United States Congress and is documented in detail online (http://www.kashmir-information.com).

As for autonomy in the region, the N.Y. Times fails to recognize that the state of Jammu & Kashmir has a special autonomous status under the Indian constitution. Indian law prohibits migration of Indians from other states into Jammu & Kashmir in order to preserve the ethnic composition of the state. Indian authorities have zealously carried out the spirit and letter of these laws. Contrast this with Pakistan's commitment towards different ethnic groups in the region: non-Muslim minorities were driven out of Pakistan-occupied territories in the region long ago, a strategy now being repeated by Pakistani-supported forces on the Indian side. Unlike the free and fair elections on the Indian side that give voice to all ethnic groups, the heads of the local Islamic government on the Pakistan side are essentially puppets nominated from Islamabad.

In conclusion, it appears that the New York Times articles are based on insufficient information and analysis, adding to the misinformation and misunderstanding about the region that exists among many international circles. The Times has chosen to ignore the tragedy that has befallen Kashmiri Hindus, and has missed an opportunity to add its influential voice to the struggle against the forces of international terrorism and ethnic cleansing.

IAKF's diplomatic offensive on behalf of Kashmiri Pandits

The Indo-American Kashmir Forum (IAKF), in concert with its overseas affiliates, the Indo-Canadian Kashmir Forum (ICKF) and the Indo-European Kashmir Forum (IEKF), have been meeting with the delegates to the United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) at Geneva regularly.

In the last meeting of the session, the Kashmiri Pandits (KP's) met with US Ambassador Nancy Rubin. As a result of vigorous discussions with the Ambassador, Ms. Rubin agreed to forward letters written by IAKF to Ambassador Bill Richardson in New York, Ambassador Dick Celeste in New Delhi and Ambassador Thomas Simons in Islamabad, along with her personal messages. Ambassador Celeste responded to her directly, sharing with her his letter of concern to Dr. Farooq Abdullah (Chief Minister of the state), on the senseless murder of Pandits in Wandhama. Ambassador Simons replied to IAKF, in which he shared his message to the Pakistani government to cut off ties to militant/terrorist organizations operating in Kashmir.

This diplomatic offensive by IAKF, on behalf of the community, met the two goals set in its discussions with the UNHRC. First, Pakistan must be held accountable for terrorism and ethnic cleansing of KP's from the Kashmir valley. Second, the Jammu and Kashmir State government must be held accountable for security, rehabilitation and general welfare of displaced Pandits.

Congressman Frank Pallone shows solidarity with KPs at Hershey event

Congressman Frank Pallone (D-NJ) made a special trip to the Hershey Campground in Pennsylvania to meet with nearly 400 Kashmiri Pandits from 22 states and 3 other countries (Canada, U.K. and India) who had assembled over the July 4th weekend in a camp organized by the Kashmiri Overseas Association (KOA), the apex organization of KP's in the US. His trip to the KOA Camp was arranged by the IAKF.

In his opening remarks, Congressman Pallone staunchly defended the right of Pandits to expeditiously return to their homeland, recognizing that ground realities make it impossible for them to return to scattered dwellings around the valley. The recent and numerous massacres of Pandits in the valley reinforce the community's desire to live and thrive in a compact manner. Congressman Pallone also lauded the efforts of Pandits in Jammu to unify politically under the banner of the Kashmiri Pandit Political Steering Committee (KPPSC). He promised to pursue actions that would facilitate a political dialogue between the Central and State Governments with the KPPSC.

The LOC in Kashmir: key to peace in the region?

The Line of Control (LOC) in the Kashmir region is the de facto dividing line across which the Indian and Pakistani armies face off each other with almost daily exchanges of artillery and small arm exchanges. The line was established in 1947 after partition of the newly formed Pakistan from India, and has remained essentially unchanged despite several wars and constant low level skirmishes.

In the Simla agreement of 1973, Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Z. A. Bhutto informally agreed to give up their respective countries claims on each other's portions of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state and formalize the LOC as the international border. This was an important step towards lasting peace and prosperity in the region. However, a few years later, Pakistan decided to step back from the agreement and launched a proxy war in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir by fomenting a deadly insurgency that uprooted hundreds of thousands of Kashmiri Hindus and has resulted in tens of thousands of casualties.

In response to these events and Pakistan's renewed aggressive stance, the Indian Parliament passed a resolution in 1994 reiterating the country's claim to the Pakistani-ruled portion of Kashmir. The positions of both countries have remained rigid since then, until a few weeks ago. Jaswant Singh, special envoy of the Indian PM Atal Behari Vajpayee, was quoted in the media as suggesting that Indians were agreeable to giving permanence to the LOC in Kashmir. Vajpayee himself later quashed the idea (Times of India, 7-8-98).

It is possible that this was a trial balloon floated by the Indian government. Potentially, if both sides agreed to such a settlement and agreed to work together to end the violence as well as the displacement of Hindus in Kashmir, a resolution to a decades long imbroglio could be achieved in an expedited manner. However, the philosophies of the two sides are far from symmetrical. While Indians may ultimately be content to trade territorial claims for peace, the Pakistanis appear to be in no mood to make such concessions. Pakistani-supported militants have achieved a lot of success in changing the demographic patterns on the Indian side, giving hope to Pakistan that it could eventually control the whole region. Thus it is unlikely that the idea of making the LOC the permanent border will play a big role in resolving the Kashmir issue.