Regards, Ivan
Posted on 05/02/2006 12:48:34 AM PDT by MadIvan
SUSPECTED Islamic militants have killed at least 35 Hindus in separate incidents in Indian Kashmir.
Twenty-two people were gunned down when a village was raided, and the bodies of 13 shepherds abducted over the weekend have been found.
In the village raid, more than a dozen militants dressed in army fatigues stormed Panjdobi and Thava hamlets in Doda province, and asked the Hindu families to gather at the house of the local head- man. The villagers were then lined up and shot indiscriminately, a police spokesman said.
Rakesh Sharma, an eyewitness whose brother was among the injured, said they were sleeping when armed gunmen dressed in army uniforms knocked and asked them to gather at the headman's house. "We were tied with ropes, beaten and then lined up and shot at. I escaped while many were dead. There was blood and cries all around," he said.
"Since there was no security forces in proximity, the injured were shifted to hospital only at 8am in the morning."
For centuries, Kashmir's Hindus - known as Pandits - lived peacefully alongside the area's Muslim majority.
But the Pandits have been targeted relentlessly by Islamic insurgents who have been fighting since 1989 to wrest Kashmir from largely Hindu India. An estimated 2,000 have been killed.
The latest killings come days before Kashmir's political separatists are due to meet Manmohan Singh, the Indian prime minister, who suggested the murders would not hamper efforts to find peace in the region, divided between India and Pakistan.
"People of Kashmir have rejected and rebuffed terrorists repeatedly," he said.
India has repeatedly accused Pakistan of backing the militants, even as the two rival nations have talked peace. Mr Singh, however, stopped short of blaming Islamabad for the new attacks.
Regards, Ivan
Ping!
..."blamed?" IIRC, an Islamist terrorist group took credit for the massacre.
The religion of peace strikes again.
Thank you. That is informative--especially with the map.
Agreed. That map is very helfpul.
While I have few points of agreement with the Hindu right in India,their point on partitioning Kashmir into 3 is imminently sensible.A Hindu majority in Jammu,Slammic majority in the valley & Buddhist/hindus in Ladakh is just too volatile to hand over to the terrorists in the Hurriyat & their pals in the "indegnious" political parties.There won't be an end to this problem if the state stays as it is & will only become more unstable even if it becomes independent.If an internal partition takes place,article 370 of the constitution can be thrown into the dustbin irrespective of whether the Slammics want it or not.
Seperation into 3 zone can have its own set of problems.
The J&K in its present shape with all the Hindu, Muslim and Buddhist areas combined would together give a pro-India majority. If Hindu and Buddhist areas are seperated the Kashmir valley will have a pro-Pak or pro-Independence (which is the same thing) majority and it will be a big advantage for Pakistan. Pakistan can then make demands that India can keep Ladakh and Jammu while India hands over the pro-Pak majority Valley to Pakistan.
The Northern areas at one time had large number of Buddhists. Today there are almost none. Those places are almost 100% Muslim majority. And most of them are Punjabis (not even Kashmiris). Through ethnic clensing and genocide Pakistan has done the ground work that a future referandum (if taken) would give a clear Pak majority.
You'r right on that,but it unless Delhi shows some real spine,the hindus & buddhists will keep reducing in number & will attempt to leave the state.If i recall correctly,the percentage of Muslims in Ladakh has grown by close to 10% in the last 25-30 years,which is not comforting factor.
The Northern Areas of Gilgit & Baltistan in POK offer hope to India given that these areas are dirt poor with zero democracy & widespread resentment against the Pak-Punjabi dominance.There has been more than one revolt there since the 80s,the most recent being around 2000 or so after the way the PA army allowed the Northern Light Infantry(of Kargil infamy) to be slaughtered by India & not even receiving their dead bodies.
Ping!
Im sure its just another one of those misunderstandings. Maybe CAIR can tell us what to think on this one too.
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