Muslims massacre Hindus in Kashmir

[aneeshm]

Link

Originally Posted by The Bangkok Post

Kashmir extremists massacre 22 Hindus

Srinagar (dpa) - At least 22 Hindus were killed by suspected Muslim militants in India's Jammu and Kashmir state Monday, the police said.

The militants attacked remote Kalhan village in Doda district, about 230km southwest of state winter capital Jammu, in the early hours of Monday, Jammu inspector general of police SP Vaid said.

Eight people were injured in the attack. They have been rushed to hospitals in Jammu town.

Sources said militants of the Lashkar-e-Toiba group were responsible for the incident.

Police and army personnel have rushed to the spot. "We have sent parties to verify the details. The area is hilly and far-off. It will take a while to confirm the exact details, a senior police official told IANS news agency.

According to reports, a large group of militants came down from the forests surrounding the village, pulled Hindu villagers out of their homes and shot them.

It was the second militant attack on Hindus in the state in the past two days. On Saturday, militants abducted and killed four Hindus in Udhampur district.

The attacks come days before a round of talks between leaders of the separatist All Parties Hurriyat Conference and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh scheduled to be held in New Delhi on May 3 and 4.

Jammu and Kashmir has a majority Muslim population, but some districts like Doda have several villages with minority Hindu populations.

There have been attacks on Hindus in Jammu and Kashmir by Muslim terrorists in the past. The first was in August 1993 when 16 Hindu bus passengers were segregated and shot dead, also in Doda district.

More than 70,000 people - security personnel, militants and civilians - have died in Jammu and Kashmir in a violent separatist movement that peaked in 1989.

India alleges that neighbouring Pakistan aids and abets Muslim militants who routinely infiltrate across the Line of Control that divides India- and Pakistan-administered Kashmir to launch attacks in the state. It is a charge that Pakistan denies.

Both India and Pakistan claim the Himalayan region in its entirety and have fought two wars over it.

Not much to say , I guess , other than that I condemn this . The Doda district has a history of Muslims killing Hindus - 25 Hindus were killed in 1998 , and 15 more in 2001 .

[allhailIndia]

If the campaign carried out by various militant groups against the Hindus of kashmir is not genocide, then I do not know what it is.

They have been targetted by those who want to establish a Muslim state, systematically 'cleansed' from the local population and driven out through threats, intimidation and outright violence. Unfortunately, even in a hindu majority state like India, their plight is largely ignorant as they do not vote en bloc, are not the focus of human rights activities, and there is no government against whom to launch Public(ity) Interest Litigations against.

[aneeshm]

And the worst part is , even other Hindus don't give a damn .

[King Alexander]

Well, what is the local police doing? Is it possible that someone comes, takes you off of your house and shoots you? Just put snipers at the area there, and everyone that comes from the other side of the border armed, have him shot. I can't believe such things still happen ...

[kingjoshi]

In parts of Nepal, you still have gangs on elephant backs. Of course, that's only part of the 'forces' of the gang.

The Maoists used to attack police stations all the time. That's a great source for arms. I would assume militant groups in Kashmir or elsewhere would do the same.

[blackheart]

India should start mobilizing troops to put down the militants there. But then again I do notice that the thread title is just "Muslims" and not "Militant anti-government extremist etc. Muslims".

[aneeshm]

It's not "militant anti-government extremist" muslims . It is just "militant" muslims . And they have been operating in the Kashmir valley for a long time , with the tacit support of the local populace .

[VRWCAgent]

Aneeshm, I honestly don't mean to be flippant here, but is it really worth keeping Kashmir? Every time it is in the news, it's negative and seems like it is nothing but a huge headache for India as a whole and blood and death for the locals.

Mind you, I am not necessarily suggesting you give it up as I certainly understand how you'd like to see part of your nation sliced away. I'd go ape if someone had the audacity to suggest the USA give up the Southwest for whatever reason, as it is a part of my nation.

[Riesstiu IV]

Wow, I’m sort of surprised you’d say that VRWCAgent. If I remember correctly, you still think the occupation of Iraq has some hope of bringing stability and democracy to the region. Although Kashmir is a rough area, I don’t think the current levels of violence justifies giving up on the region. Most violent independent movements in India are made up of a minority of extremists.

Also, I think giving up in Kashmir would increase foreign terrorism within my mother's home state of Punjab and the neighboring region of Himachal Pradesh.

Edit: Does anybody know if Kashmir has become worse since the mid 80's? My family visited the region when I was one year old and they said the region seemed ok security wise.

[VRWCAgent]

I guess I worded that badly. I wasn't suggesting it so much as I am curious if that's even a consideration at all. The Israelis seem resigned to giving up territory for peace (different topic, so let's not fork here), and it's been tried before throughout history, so I'm just wondering if that idea has ever been floated in India.

[Riesstiu IV]

There has been a lot of bad blood between Muslims and Hindus/Sikhs in India and neither side is willing to give up anything. All my Indian relatives don't like or trust Muslims but it is kind of a Sikh thing. The government won't withdraw because it would simply make India look weak and validate the tactics of Islamic terrorists.

India and Pakistan are sort of in a cold war right now and nationalism is running high in both nations. It would be like letting Alaska become a communist state allied with the USSR during the cold war. No way in hell would any red blooded American allow that to happen.

Tensions between the two nations have really risen since the 2001 attack on Indian Parliament.

[Dreadnought]

I saw this coming

[Shaihulud]

I know a girl from Kashmir, actually im working under her. She was decided to move from the place because it was getting worse from all that Muslim country, and to those who questioned why don't India abandoned Kashmir, it is a matter of National pride and sense of soverignity, letting Kashmir go would be a blow for India's sense of self identity.

[allhailIndia]

Originally Posted by VRWCAgent

I guess I worded that badly. I wasn't suggesting it so much as I am curious if that's even a consideration at all. The Israelis seem resigned to giving up territory for peace (different topic, so let's not fork here), and it's been tried before throughout history, so I'm just wondering if that idea has ever been floated in India.

The idea has been floated, 60 years or so ago.

It was Sardar Patel, soon to be Home Minister of India, and leader of the COngress Party, who felt that Kashmir would not be worth the trouble in keeping it, especially since it had too mny Muslims in it.
The argument against him, were two-fold:
1. A Muslim Kashmir would only strengthen the 'secular' credentials of India
2. Nehru's personal attachment to the land of his forefathers; and the fact that people like Nehru more than Patel.

Currently, too much blood and too much money has been spilt over Kashmir to just 'give it up'.

[silver 2039]

Originally Posted by VRWCAgent

I guess I worded that badly. I wasn't suggesting it so much as I am curious if that's even a consideration at all. The Israelis seem resigned to giving up territory for peace (different topic, so let's not fork here), and it's been tried before throughout history, so I'm just wondering if that idea has ever been floated in India.

There is no reason why Kashmir should be indepdenet or given up simply because the majority is Muslim. India being a secular nation and a democracy after all. There are a large minority of Muslims (250 milllion?) in India comprimising 18% or so of the pouplation and they have lived int eh country for the past 60 years. And for that matter in Ladakh and areas near the River Chenab I believe that Hindus and Buddhists are the majority.

No peace is worth badly undermining the secular nature of the nation. Let Kashmir go and the Sikhs in Punjab will follow, and the Assames, the Manipuri's, the Tamili's, etc... It would be greatly detrimental to the mindset and nature of the nation undermining its terrotrial integrity.

Also Kashmir is a stratgically vital area bordering the north of Pakistan and China in Tibet. The control of strategic areas in Kashmir including Ladakh and Kargil are most useful for the security of the nation.