Kashmir Chronicle: KIN Newsletter Vol. 1, No. 4

Kashmir Chronicle

Monthly news bulletin of
Kashmir Information Network (KIN)

Vol. 1, No. 4

August 15, 1998

Flawed Kashmir analysis by the Washington Post

The Washington Post, a widely read and well-respected newspaper based in the capital of the United States, recently published an editorial on the situation in Kashmir (Aug 3, 1998). While acknowledging the complexity of the situation, the editorial is deeply flawed in its analysis and based on erroneous historical and demographic facts and assumptions.

There are innumerable facts that the Post editorial staff is either unaware of or has chosen to ignore. The ruler of Jammu and Kashmir acceded the state to India on Oct. 26, 1947 under the framework of the partition of India, about a year before the UN resolution was passed, and not after, as the Post erroneously states. While India waited patiently for the ruler to make his decision 50 years ago, Pakistan demonstrated no such restraint, and sent in tribal invaders to take the territory by force. The Pakistani invaders pillaged and ravaged the area as they advanced towards the capital, Srinagar, and drove away non-Muslim residents, with the backing of the Pakistani military. The portion of the state which is under Pakistani control, is thus a result of Pakistani aggression.

The above-mentioned United Nations resolution called specifically for Pakistan to vacate this aggression by withdrawing its invading tribesmen and troops that had occupied a third of Jammu and Kashmir (UN Truce Agreement, Aug. 13, 1948, Section A). Pakistan, which brings up the resolution at the slightest pretext, never bothered to implement this primary condition of the resolution.

The Post writers also demonstrate a serious lack of understanding of the demography of the region. To state that ‘Kashmiris demand self-determination’ neglects the fact that all Kashmiris are not Muslims, and ignores the sentiments of all the non-Muslim residents of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, who comprise 40% of the population as per the 1981 Census of India, as also those of a significant portion of the Muslim population which participated in free and fair state and national elections during the last three years. The article also ignores the countless non-Muslim residents who fled the state during the Pakistani invasion in 1947, as also many who were forced out due to economic oppression by Muslims during the last half century. Furthermore, it ignores hundreds of thousands of Hindus, especially Kashmiri Pandits residing in Kashmir valley, who fled during the last decade of violence unleashed by Islamic fundamentalist elements.

The UN resolution of 1948 also stated that the status of the region would be determined according to the will of the people of the state, after ‘fair and equitable conditions were established’. To anyone with sufficient knowledge of the region’s history, it is clear that Pakistan has worked hard to permanently undermine ‘fair and equitable conditions’ in the state of Jammu and Kashmir by (1) refusing to vacate its aggression in a third of the state, (2) continued support and encouragement of ethnic cleansing of non-Muslims in the state, thus irreversibly altering the pre-1947 demography of the region and (3) continuing to arm, train and indoctrinate infiltrators entering the state. A half century later, the resolution is no more than a meaningless piece of paper which the Pakistani side never intended to implement, but uses as a tool for its designs to spread Islamic fundamentalism in the region.

The Post makes no mention of the ghastly human rights violations by Pakistani-trained and indoctrinated terrorists. It neglects the plight of the several hundred thousand Kashmiri Pandits driven out by Islamic fundamentalist violence from their homeland. Many of these hapless victims still live as refugees in their own country. The call for reduction of Indian paramilitary forces is at best naïve, and would result in the unleashing of fresh waves of Islamic terror and ethnic cleansing aimed at the remaining non-Muslim population of the state. The Post has unwittingly fallen for the talk of ‘independence’ in the region; such talk is mere euphemism for the establishment of an intolerant, Islamic fundamentalist Pakistani territory that will purge all non-Muslim residents of the region.

By not doing its homework before writing a major editorial about Kashmir, the Washington Post has done a grave disservice to the forces of religious freedom and peaceful democracy in South Asia. Before it ventures into the complex task of analyzing the Kashmir issue again, the Post editorial staff is invited to visit the web site http://www.kashmir-information.com/ to get a comprehensive course in the history, demography and reality of the region.

Islamic terror spans the globe

The US embassy bombings in Africa this week have reminded the world that no region of the world is safe from the murderous designs of extremists and terrorists. Although no group has yet been identified in these bombings, the hand of Islamic fundamentalists is suspected in these bombings. Some reports have raised the involvement of groups based in Afghanistan and Pakistan (Indian Express, Aug. 9, 1998).

While this may be a rare occurrence for the eastern African countries of Kenya and Tanzania, Hindus in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir have continuously suffered the cold-blooded and ruthless violence of irreversibly indoctrinated Islamic fanatics for a decade. Many Hindus, especially the Kashmiri Pandits from the Kashmir valley, have fled the region to escape the constant terror. Bombings, massacres, rapes, kidnappings, hostage-taking and torture have been common tools of the trade for these religious fighters.

During the past year in particular, the mayhem against Hindus has been extended into the southern areas of the state. Massacres, especially of Hindus, continue unabated. Recently, the neighboring state of Himachal Pradesh bore witness to the inhumanity of the Pakistani-supported militants, who crossed over into the state and shot dead 36 Hindu laborers in their sleep (Excite.com, Aug. 3, 1998). The next day, the militants struck in Poonch region of Jammu and Kashmir killing 19 people, 14 of them children, and in Udhampur region, where they shot dead 7 Hindus and burnt down their houses (Indian Express, Aug. 5, 1998).

The bombings in Africa and the continued Islamic mayhem in Jammu and Kashmir remind us that peace- and freedom-loving communities of the world need to come together to fight a common battle against extremism and terrorism across the world. A crucial aspect of this battle will be to identify, hold responsible, and bring to justice the entities supporting these deadly forces.