Police arrest passenger after plane makes emergency landing in SwedenFrom Per Nyberg and Ben Brumfield, CNN

September 25, 2010 -- Updated 0954 GMT (1754 HKT)

(CNN) -- Authorities arrested a passenger after a plane made an emergency landing in Sweden on Saturday morning, police said.

The plane -- which had 260 people onboard and was flying from Canada to Pakistan -- landed after a caller told authorities that a passenger had explosives with him.

All passengers were later evacuated from the plane, Stockholm Police spokesman Kjell Lindgren said.

The man arrested is suspected of a threat against air traffic, Lindgren said, but declined to say whether the man had any explosives.

Authorities will interrogate the man and thoroughly search the plane, he said. Earlier Saturday, police said bomb technicians were at the scene.

"The arrest was made in a very nondramatic fashion," he said.

Pakistan International Airlines Flight 782 was heading from Toronto, Canada, to Karachi, Pakistan, when it landed because of "security reasons," said Sultan Hassan, an airline spokesman.

The plane landed at Arlanda airport in Stockholm, Sweden, at 7:30 a.m. (1:30 a.m. ET) Saturday after a woman calling from a pay phone in Canada tipped off police that a man on the plane had explosives, police spokesman Janne Hedlund said.

Canadian authorities contacted the plane while it was in Swedish airpsace, Hedlund said.

The man is from Pakistan and has a Canadian passport, Hedlund said.

Authorities do not know whether the man has explosives, what kind of explosives could be in his possession or whether he knows the person who notified authorities, Hedlund said.

There was no direct bomb threat against the flight, he said.

Hassan said he did not have more specific details about the cause of the diversion. All passengers onboard are safe, he said.

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/09/25/pakistan.canada.flight/index.html?eref=edition

British Broadcasting Corporation

Iran v US: A war of words, not of bombs and guns
Mark Mardell | 21:40 UK time, Friday, 24 September 2010

Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been at it again. At a news conference today he repeated his call for an investigation into the 9/11 attacks. Despite what the networks insist on broadcasting, he didn't actually say the US government was behind the murderous attacks, he said it was one of three theories and most Americans, and most people, believe it. I'm sure he was well aware most would not bother with this subtlety and today said:

Something happened and that event was the pretext for the invasion of two countries. Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed as a result. Don't you think that that we need to explore the real reason for 9/11... to look at that excuse?
In his interview with the BBC Persian service today, President Barack Obama's anger seemed unfeigned. He said:

It was offensive. It was hateful. And particularly for him to make the statement here in Manhattan, just a little north of Ground Zero, where families lost their loved ones, people of all faiths, all ethnicities who see this as the seminal tragedy of this generation, for him to make a statement like that was inexcusable.
And it stands in contrast with the response of the Iranian people when 9/11 happened, when there were candlelight vigils and I think a natural sense of shared humanity and sympathy was expressed within Iran. And it just shows once again sort of the difference between how the Iranian leadership and this regime operates and how I think the vast majority of the Iranian people who are respectful and thoughtful think about these issues.


So in a sense it played into his hands, the last point his theme of the day. BBC Persian broadcasts to around 10 million people in Iran, and Mr Obama's message was directed at them, an effort to persuade that his quarrel wasn't with them but with their leaders, and in particular their president. He suggested one of the reason the west and Russia were so worried were because of odd outbursts like this.

Then my colleague Bahman Kalbasi asked him what is for many the key question.

For a lot of Iranians who are looking at how this scenario is playing out, many see similarities to the run-up to the Iraq War. You know, a succession of UN resolutions, toughened economic sanctions, on-and-off talk about war and a military strike. What do you say to those who are worried that they'll wake up to a military attack by America or Israel?
Mr Obama replied:

Well, I think what people should remember is that I don't take war lightly. I was opposed to the war in Iraq. I am somebody who's interested in resolving issues diplomatically.
He went on:

So the Iranian government itself has said 'we are not interested in nuclear weapons'. That's their public statement. If that's the case, there should be a mechanism whereby they can assure and prove to the international community, including the IAEA, that that is in fact the case. And if they take those constructive steps in serious negotiations, then not only should there not be a threat of war but there also won't be the sanctions that are currently in place.
This may not be tempting for Mr Ahmadinejad, Iran's 9/11 Truther in Chief, but some in Iran's complex democracy and ruling classes may like the thought of sanctions being lifted. Despite the harsh words and calculated insults even Mr Ahmadinejad did suggest that the European Union set up talks for next month. It is true that his remarks were as cryptic as ever and hedged with caveats. But low-level contacts between Iran and the EU were going on the whole time. The US and the world are in no mood for another war, and Mr Obama would be loathe to be the president to start one. That doesn't mean Israel will not act alone, but I suspect this will remain a war of words for some time to come.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/markmardell/2010/09/iranian_leader_mahmoud_ahmadin.html

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Suggests To U.N. General Assembly 9/11 Was An Inside Job
by Colby Hall | 4:11 pm, September 23rd,

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad spoke to the United Nations General Assembly this afternoon, sharing some rather provocative rhetoric over the United States worst terrorist attack in history. Ahmadinejad suggested to the assembled diplomats, ambassadors and world leaders that the events that occurred on 9/11 were actually orchestrated by the U.S. Government.. This prompted the U.S. delegation to abruptly leave the assembly hall while many other national delegates followed suit.

Writing for the Associated Press, Ali Akbar Dareini reports:

The U.S. delegation has walked out of the U.N. speech of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad after he said some in the world have speculated that Americans were actually behind the Sept. 11 terror attacks, staged in an attempt to assure Israel’s survival.

He did not explain the logic of that statement that was made as he attacked the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Iranian leader spoke of threats to burn the Quran by U.S. religious groups, calling that an act of “evil.” He held up a copy of the Muslim holy book, saying “the truth cannot be burned.”

http://www.mediaite.com/online/mahmoud-ahmadinejad-tells-u-n-general-assembly-911-was-an-inside-job/

THE WASHINGTON TIMES

7:53 p.m., Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Shariah a danger to U.S., security pros say
Obama policy change urged

A panel of national security experts who worked under Republican and Democratic presidents is urging the Obama administration to abandon its stance that Islam is not linked to terrorism, arguing that radical Muslims are using Islamic law to subvert the United States.

In a report set for release today, the panel states that "it is vital to the national security of the United States, and to Western civilization at large, that we do what we can to empower Islam's authentic moderates and reformers."

The study group, sponsored by the conservative-oriented Center for Security Policy, says in its report that proponents of advancing Islamic law mark the "crucial fault line" in Islam's internal divisions separating truly moderate Muslims, like the late Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid, from the large portion of the world's 1 billion Muslims who advocate imposing what they call Shariah law throughout the world.

Mr. Wahid, who died in December, is a widely respected Muslim visionary who promoted pluralism in Indonesia, which has the world's largest population of Muslims.

According to the report, proponents of Shariah are "Muslim supremacists" waging "civilization jihad" along with the Islamist terrorists engaged in violent jihad, like al Qaeda.

The 19-member study group was led by retired Army Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin, deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence in the George W. Bush administration, and retired Army Lt. Gen. Harry E. Soyster, Defense Intelligence Agency director from 1988 to 1991.

Included in the team of former defense, law enforcement and intelligence officials were Clinton administration CIA Director R. James Woolsey and Andrew C. McCarthy, former assistant U.S. attorney in New York, a career counterterrorism prosecutor during the Clinton administration.

Frank Gaffney, director of the Center for Security Policy, said the Obama administration's policy is based on an incorrect assumption. The Team B report seeks to expose flaws in anti-terror programs, including the policy of not referring to al Qaeda and similar groups as "Islamist" to avoid offending Muslims, he said.

"What if it turns out that some of the people the Obama administration has been embracing are actually promoting the same totalitarian ideology and seditious agenda as al Qaeda, only they're doing it from White House Iftar dinners?" said Mr. Gaffney, referring to the daily meal eaten by Muslims to break their fast during Ramadan.

The group of experts was modeled after the official CIA Team B, whose 1976 contrary analysis said U.S. intelligence assessments had underestimated Soviet nuclear forces. That Team B report led to the military buildup under the Reagan administration.

Uneasy calm prevails in curfewed Valley

Another youth succumbs, toll 89; 60 injured in fresh clashes, Bemina youth critical; Over 100 missing inTangmarg; 2 women sustain bullet injuries
GOWHAR BHAT/MUDDASIR ALI


Srinagar, Sept 14: A day after police and CRPF killed 17 persons in the Valley over the protests against alleged desecration of Quran, a strict curfew was clamped thought out the Valley on Tuesday even as another injured succumbed to his injuries taking the toll of killings since June 11 to 89. People defied curfew at a few places during the day stating protests. At least sixty persons, one of them critically, were injured in fresh clashes today.
NORTH KASHMIR
A youth injured in the firing at Tangmarg on Monday succumbed to his injuries today. Abdul Qayoom of Sangrama was injured in police and CRPF firing at Tangmarg yesterday and he succumbed to his injuries this morning, witnesses said. With Qayoom’s death toll in Tangmarg firing mounted to six.
The Tangmarg town and its peripheries remained tense after the killings today. Hospital authorities revealed 72 persons were injured in Monday’s firing with 70 of them sustaining bullets.
Since yesterday, locals say scores of youth are missing from several localities of Tangmarg, Pattan and Varmul. They had participated in the protest march to Tangmarg. Locals said around 40 youth are in police custody. They said many senior citizens approached police seeking their release but police have rejected their pleas.
Protests broke out at a few places including Mazhama and its neighbourhood. The protesters protested the alleged desecration of the dead bodies by police and forces Monday.
In the evening, people, defied curfew, and assembled on Srinagar-Gulmarg road near Kunzar Bridge demanding the release of arrested youth. They pelted stones forces with stones before being chased away by police.
Reports said protesters defied curfew at Khanpora, in North Kashmir’s Varmul town and staged protests against the fresh killings. Police and paramilitary forces caned and lobbed teargas shells to disperse the protesters who pelted stones on them. Witnesses said two persons were injured in police action.
The injured were identified as Tariq Ahmad Sofi son of Bashir Ahmad and Showkat Ahmad Khan so of Ali Muhammad, both residents of Khanpora. Tariq, 21, was shifted to SKIMS, Srinagar in a critical condition. He had a firearm injury in head.
Witnesses said protests also erupted in several localities of Sopur including Warpora, Bomia, Arampora and Haathishah. Police and CRPF used force to disperse the protesters.
Police said that protesters pelted stones on a CRPF camp at Bomai. One person, Khazir Mohammed Nadaf son of Habibullah Nadaf of Bomai was injured in clashes.
Police, however, said that he was injured after in the clashes after a group of locals “objected to stone-pelting on CRPF camp.” Police said it has registered an FIR.
Protests also broke out at Chogal and Harpora in Handwara; Drugmulla in Kupwara; Sumbal and Watpora in Bandipora. At Watpora, protesters attacked the house of a Congress activist, Habibullah Bhat of Watpora.
Later in the evening, three youths were wounded when police and paramilitary CRPF troopers opened fire near Kaloosa, Bandipore.
They said people had taken to streets to protest against the arrests of few youth from the Kaloosa locality. However, troopers opened fire injuring three youths, as Muhammad Akram, Sajad Ahmed and Ishfaq Ahmed They were rushed to a hospital.
Police said the forces dispersed the protesters using mild force. No one was injured.
At Mansbal in Ganderbal, youth from Mansbal, Kondbal, Yangoora and other adjoining areas marched towards Mansbal Park raising pro-freedom slogans. They damaged a tourist hut near the parking area. Police and CRPF forces soon swung into action and chased them away using and shot numerous tear smoke shells triggering clashes. One youth was injured in the clashes.
CENTRAL KASHMIR; 15 INJURED
At least 15 persons were injured, one of them critically, when police and CRPF opened fire to disperse stone pelting youth at two separate places in central Kashmir Budgam. Elsewhere in the district, situation continued to be tense even as curfew was clamped down in several areas, day after killing of six persons in police and CRPF firing. Protesters also attacked the house of provincial president of ruling National Conference.
Eight persons were injured when CRPF and police opened fire on a group of youth who had engaged the paramilitary troopers in stone pelting at Chadoora.
“One of the injured, Abdul Rashid Ganai, 45, was hit by a rubber bullet in chest. Though his bullet was removed at the Chadoora hospital he was referred to SKIMS for further treatment,” said a senior doctor working in one of the district hospitals. Seven other persons who had received minor injuries in the actions by the forces were treated at the Chadoora hospital, doctors said.
In a separate incident seven persons were injured when CRPF troopers of 174 battalion stationed at Doonwari near Wathora opened fire on group of stone pelting youth.
Of the eight persons, Bilal Ahmad Beg, 20, Imtiyaz Ahmad Wani, and Aqib Javaid—all three from Wathora area- who had received bullet injuries in firing by CRPF were referred to SMHS hospital.
While Beg had a bullet injury in abdomen and was shifted in critical condition, Imtiyaz Ahmad Wani had bullet injury in his left knee, and Aqib was hit by teargas shell in his left eye, doctors said.
“Aqib was working in his orchard when he was hit by a teargas shell,” sources said.
Four other persons who had received minor injuries in the incident were treated at a local hospital in the area, doctors said.
Reports said a group of youth also attacked the house of the Provincial President, National Conference, with stones in the Doonwari area. The security on guard resorted to aerial firing to chase away the youth who caused minor damage to the windowpanes of the house, reports said. However a top police official termed the reports as a “rumor.” “There was no such incident,” he said.
He however said at least eight CRPF troopers were injured in the stone pelting by the youth in the area.
At many places including Charar-i-Sharief announcement were made early in the morning with authorities asking people to stay indoors and respect curfew.
However massive pro-freedom protests broke out in main town Char, which witnessed killing of a 7th class student, Danish Nabi, in CRPF firing. Raising slogans the protestors took the roads and burnt down worn out tyres. But strict restriction were put in place in New Colony and other areas of the town with authorities putting in deployment of CRPF to prevent people from coming out.
The condition of two other youth from Char who were injured in CRPF firing and were shifted to Srinagar is reported to be stable.
Strict curfew was clamped down in Humhama area of the district where four persons, including a woman from Ompora, Budgam, were killed in police and CRPF firing over a procession, which was protesting over alleged desecration of Holy Quran in America.
Though protests also broke out in Ompora village and scores of peripheral villages of the district, the main town of Budgam remained comparatively calm as authorities had put in heavy deployment of CRPF and police in the entire area.
Situation continued to be tense in Nagam Kralpora, and other villages of the district with reports of anti-government protests being received from the places.
Reports said there was heavy deployment of police and CRPF in areas en-route to the Srinagar International airport, which has been closed down for three days for any air traffic to and from the Valley.
Meanwhile district health authorities have send to different Srinagar hospitals more than 150 points of blood which was donated for injured by people at Magam, Nowgam and Padshahi Bagh areas of the district, sources said.
SRINAGAR; 2 INJURED IN FIRING; BEMINA YOUTH CRITICAL
In the summer capital here protests broke out at Boatman colony, Bemina and Zainakot.
Protesters raising pro-freedom and anti-India slogans blocked the Srinagar-Varmul highway near Boatman Colony and resorted to stone pelting on forces. One person was injured critically after police fired teargas shells and live ammunition to disperse them. The injured was shifted to SKIMS where doctors identified him as Fayaz Ahmad Naikoo, 32.
“He has a firearm injury in his brain. He has been operated upon,” a senior doctor at SKIMS said.
He said Fayaz was in a critical condition.
In Zainakot protesters attacked a paramilitary camp. The forces responded by caning, firing teargas shell and live ammunition. One protester, Mudasir Ahmad Dar of HMT was injured in the police action. He was shifted to SKIMS where he was kept in an ICU after being operated upon. He had firearm injuries in both legs.
A doctor at SKIMS said that they received eight injured persons during the day, of which two were from Srinagar and were from critical.
Elsewhere in the city, police and CRPF were deployed in large numbers. They imposed a strict curfew for the third day running and didn’t allow people to step out of their homes.
Through out the day police and CRPF vehicles fitted with loud speakers made rounds of localities asking people to stay indoors failing which they will be shot at.
KHALID GUL ADDS FROM SOUTH KASHMIR
At least 40 people were injured in clashes across the South Kashmir as people defied curfew at many areas includin Bijbehara, Islamabad, Pampore and some areas of Pulwama, Shopian and Kulgam district while the teenager is still missing after he drowned in Jehlum river as he was chased by police and CRPF men on Monday at Khanabal in Islamabad town.
At least eight persons were injured two of them with bullets in police and CRPF action at Zirpura ,Bijbehara when locals defying curfew came to streets after the CRPF troopers allegedly ransacked many houses and injured many youth inside their homes. " Some youth were also arrested from the area," locals said.
One Imad Ahmad sustained head injury and was taken to the Sub-district hospital, Bijbehara.
The incident triggered massive protests in the area as men along women and children came on streets. Police fired 'indiscriminately' on the protesters resulting in critical injuries to two women, Sakina 25 , Rifat 26 who sustained bullet injuries in the buttocks and are undergoing treatment at the Sub-district hospital, Bijbehara. Clashes also erupted in Sangam area of the district of the National Highway. Several people sustained injuries there too.
Despite severe curfew restrictions, protests continued in Khanabal area of Islamabad as people alleged that police and CRPF men drowned one Raju Nath ,17, on Monday in the nearby Jehlum river by hurling a brick on his head inside the river. Raju is missing since Monday afternoon.
Authorities engaged Navy persons on Tuesday; however, they were unable to fish out the body of the teenager. Angry protesters torched a SOG wanton vehicle at Batengoo, Khanabal after the CRPF and police persons ran amok in the area and severely thrashed the inmates and ransacked the house hold goods. The clashes were on till last reports came in. Strict curfew was enforced in the Islamabad town and shoot at sight orders were in place after Monday’s incident in which a teenager, Aqib Ahmad Wagay, aged 14 who was killed outside the residence of Parliamentarian and senior NC leader Dr. Mehboob Beig at Sarnal. However, late in the evening youth engaged police in pitched battles at many areas of old town including , Malakhnag, Cheeni Chowk , Reeshi Bazar, Kadipora, Sarnal, Mattan Chowk, Dangerpora, Lal Chowk and in some K.P road areas; Lazbal, Gulshanabad, Naibasti and Khanabal.
On Monday night police and CRPF troops allegedly looted money and ransacked house of , District Bar Association president and Democratic Freedom Party leader, Fayaz Ahmad Saudagar.
Curfew was extended to the peripheries of Islamabad including Mattan, Dialgam, Achabal, Dooru, Shangus and Kokernag. However, clashes broke out in Dooru. Several people including the cops were injured.
In Srigufwara area of Bijbehara 6 persons sustained rubber bullet injures after they clashed with CRPF troops stationed in the area. Clashes were on until last reports came in.
Kulgam
In Malpora, Wanpoh area of Kulgam a female, Nidu Jan, aged 15 daughter of Muhammad Yousuf Dar received head injuries after CRPF and police went berserk and barged into the houses mercilessly beating the inmates including women. Another youth Khurshid Ahmad Dar son of Ghulam Muhmamd Dar was also injured in the police action.
The injured were being treated in the hospital.
Meanwhile, Kulgam town remained under strict curfew, however, clashes were reported from Naikpora after some youth were arrested from the area. People also staged pro-freedom demonstrations in the peripheral areas like Chawalgam.
Intense clashes broke out in Khudwani after police detained six youth. Seven people were injured as police fired tear smoke canister to disperse the protestors who tried to attack the CRPF bunker.
Curfew was also clamped in the Qaimoh town while clashes broke late in the evening. In Bogund village of Kulgam the CRPF persons without any provocation barged into several houses ransacked the house hold goods and thrashed the inmates. Protest demonstrations also broke out in Aishmuji, Frisal and Redwani areas.
Pulwama
After three people were killed and 50 injured on Monday in police and CRPF firing in the Pampore township. People defied curfew in Namlabal and Kadlabal after police detained several youth.
The arrests triggered clashes as youth fought pitched battles with police and CRPF who resorted to arial firing and also fired tear gas canisters resulting in injuries to 12 people.
Locals alleged that late in the evening CRPF went berserk and ransacked many houses and also damaged window panes of many private vehicles.
People staged demonstrations on the Srinagar -Jammu Highway to protest the killings and the CRPF action in the area.
CRPF troops allegedly ransacked the house of late Peoples League (PL) leader, Sheikh Abdul Aziz and also injured his relatives. Clashes also erupted in Khrew and Samboora areas.
Strict Curfew was imposed in Pulwama and Kakapora towns. However, pro-freedom demonstrations rocked in the peripheral areas of Prechoo, Bunura, Pachibugg, Chatpora. Several people were injured in the clashes.
Reports of pro-freedom demonstrations were also received from Tral and Awantipora.
Shopian
Strict curfew was imposed in Shopian town also. However, 17 persons were injured when police and CRPF personal resorted to cane charging and tear gas shelling in the peripheral areas of Aliyarpora, Kanipora and Gagran.
Clashes were reported from the town late in the evening.
Police Speaks
“A mob defied curfew in Khanpora Baramulla (Vamul) this morning and indulged in heavy pelting on the forces. The police used tear smoke shells to disperse them. One miscreant has got injured. A mob attacked battalion Headquarters of forces in Zainakote on the outskirts of Srinagar city. In the retaliatory action one miscreant got injured. His condition is stable.
Meanwhile, in the after mob pelted stones on security forces in Boatman colony. The forces used tear smoke shells to disperse the mob. The miscreants did not relent. The pelting was very intense in the response action of the security forces one person has got injured. He has been referred to SKIMS, Soura,” a police spokesman said.
“Some miscreants defied curfew in Chadoora in Budgam and pelted stones on forces. Stone pelting has also been reported from Sumbal in Bandipore district. In Bandipore a mob pelted stones on the house of Ex MLC Habeebullah at Watipora. Some miscreants pelted stones on forces in Harapora Handwara,” he added.
“Last evening an unruly mob set ablaze the building of a private school at Pulwama. The residential house, cowshed and a fire wood shed belonging to a police constable was set on fire at Thandan, Kreeri.”
“A group clash erupted between two groups in Bomai in Sopur in which one person was injured. A group of miscreants from a village Tujjar had come over to Bomai to attack the CRPF camp. This camp has been attacked a number of times in the past. The miscreants started pelting stones on the camp. The local people of Bomai objected to it, which led to heated exchanges and a clash erupted between the two groups,” spokesman said.
In this clash, he claimed, Khazir Muhammad Nadaf son of Habib ul Nadaf of Bomai was injured in head.






Lastupdate on : Tue, 14 Sep 2010 21:30:00 Mecca time

protesters beat an effigy of President Obama after burning it in Srinagar, India

THE WASHINGTON TIMES

15 killed during Kashmir clashes
Violence sparked in part by report of Koran desecration in U.S.

NEW DELHI | Fourteen civilians and an Indian police officer were killed in clashes Monday in India-controlled Kashmir after a TV channel played a video that showed the destruction of a Koran in United States.

Ongoing anti-India protests in the Muslim-majority region merged with outrage over the Koran desecration to spark a cycle of violence that included the torching of government buildings and an attack on a school run by a Christian missionary.

With 15 deaths reported Monday, the toll resulting from protests has topped 80 since mid-June in Kashmir. Nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan have fought over this border area they share since gaining independence in 1947.

"We had law-and-order problems in dozens of places today. In today's incidents, [Indian forces opened fire] at about dozen places in which [14] civilians died, besides one policeman," said Kuldeep Khoda, police chief of the Jammu and Kashmir state.

He said 45 civilians and 113 officers were injured in the violence.

"The loss of property is huge," Chief Khoda said. "Buildings, police stations and a local school [run by the missionary] were attacked and burned."

The police chief said the violence erupted after Press TV, an Iranian channel, reported that a Koran had been destroyed in the United States.

A Florida pastor who had threatened to burn copies of the Koran on Saturday to mark the ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks called off his plan late last week.

But Press TV apparently aired video of another man destroying a Koran in Tennessee.

"News reports have stated that on Saturday, Sept. 11, one misguided individual in the United States desecrated the Holy Koran by tearing pages from it," U.S. Ambassador Timothy J. Roemer told reporters in New Delhi.

A bloody account of mass massacres
A brief chronological account of mass massacres in Kashmir that this area has witnessed and its people have suffered since 1931

The Dogra rule, followed by Indian occupation in 1947, is a bleak chapter in the history of Jammu and Kashmir. The Dogra rule, which continued from 1846-1947, is considered as the gloomiest period. Indian armed forces occupied a major part of Jammu and Kashmir on October 27, 1947 that is continuing to date.
The Indian troops pursued the policy of suppression in a systematic manner to reduce the overwhelming Muslim majority in occupied Jammu and Kashmir. To achieve this objective Indian troops started the process of mass massacre. There are plenty of events and evidences to support this gory fact.

1931
July 13:The people of Kashmir had been raising their voice against the Dogra usurpation of their land and as a result they faced brutal consequences. On July 13, 1931, a large number of Kashmiris gathered in front of the Srinagar central jail, at a time when the trial of a youth Abdul Qadeer accused of involvement in a case of agitation, was in progress inside the jail. The objective was to demonstrate solidarity with the young man. As the time for obligatory prayer approached a young Kashmiri stood for Azan (Call for the prayer) and the Dogra police opened fire on him, and he got martyred. Thereby, another youth took the place of the martyred young man and started the Azan. He too was shot dead. In this way 22 Kashmiris embraced martyrdom in their efforts to complete the Azan.

1947
August 26: In June 1947, people of Poonch had launched a no-tax campaign against the heavy taxation of Maharaja. To curb the agitation, Maharaja Hari Singh, the last Dogra ruler of the state, ordered the use of brute military force. On August 26 the protesters were confronted by the Dogra-armed forces. The Dogra troops opened bran-gun fire on the huge crowd of 5,000 civilians, martyring and wounding hundreds of them.

October-November: Maharaja Hari Singh fled from Srinagar to Jammu on October 26th 1947, as the liberation activists were poised in Srinagar's suburbs to capture the city. On reaching Jammu, he issued orders to his troops and police besides the Hindu extremist groups, to kill Muslims found anywhere. The Muslims were asked to assemble in parade ground in Jammu so that they would be driven to Pakistan in lorries. While on their way, on October 20, 1947, eight thousand Muslims were massacred at Malatank Jammu. On October 22, 1947 at least 14000 Muslims were massacred at Saniya Jammu and 15,000 Muslims were gunned down near the bridge at Akhnoor.

On November 5 and 6, 1947, more than 100 lories, loaded with women, children and old men were taken into the wilderness of Kuthua forests. Hindu extremists and armed gangs were let loose on these innocent people and an unparallel butchery was perpetrated, killing thousands of them. Women were raped, molested and their valuables looted. All these bloodsheds were taking place in full view of the Indian army, which had by that time occupied a major part of the state. In another act of butchery, a large gathering of 25000 Muslims, in Miran Sahib and Ranbir Singhpora, were machine-gunned.

During migration to Pakistan in 1947, nearly 300,000 people were massacred in cold
British daily "the London Times" wrote on October 10, 1947 in a report from its special correspondent in India that the Maharaja, under his own supervision, got assassinated 237,000 Muslims, using military forces in Jammu area. The editor of "Statesman" Ian Stephen, in his book "Horned Moon" wrote that till the end of autumn 1947, more than 200,000 Muslims were assassinated.

Right from 1947, the fury of mass killings is going on unabated. Kashmiris suffered massacres in 1965 and 1971. Since 1989, India increased its acts of brutalities and people were killed in mass groups. Some of the savage events are as under.

1990
January 8:Firing at various places in Srinagar city, 17 people were killed. Enquiry ordered by then Governor Jagmohan. No outcome appeared.
January 15: In Handwara town, the Indian army and paramilitary forces shot dead 17 unarmed civilians including one woman when troops opened unprovoked fire on peaceful protesters.

January 21: 55 innocent civilians were killed in the localities of Basantbagh and Gawkadal in Srinagar city by CRPF troops when more than 20,000 people took to the streets, defying curfew.

January 22: The Indian army and paramilitary forces resorted to unprovoked firing at Alamghari Bazar Srinagar and killed many unarmed civilians. The people had come out unarmed to protest against the military killings at Gaw Kadal in Srinagar.
January 25: 26 civilians were shot dead in Handwara town of Kupwara district. The township was set afire by BSF after the latter was panicked by a bang. Some of the slain persons including women were roasted alive.

March 1: In order to halt massive demonstrations by the people, who were to submit a memorandum to United Nations Military Observers Group on India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), Indian army opened fire at Tengpora bypass and Zakoora crossing in Srinagar, killing 21 and 26 demonstrators, respectively.

May 21: Seventy persons were put to death by CRPF troops near Islamia College Srinagar. The unarmed civilian mourners were carrying the dead body of late Mirwaiz Molvi Muhammad Farooq, prominent liberation leader and father of APHC chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. More than three hundred people were injured. Five women, one of them pregnant, were killed. Even minors were not spared. The forces did not spare even the coffin-bearers. The dead body of late Mirwaiz was also shot at.

August 6: The troops besieged Mashali Mohalla in Srinagar, raided the houses of local inhabitants and killed innocent civilians. In this incident more than two-dozen people were brutalized, of whom nine died on the spot.

August 10: BSF cordoned off the whole area of Pazipora, Kupwara. The male inmates were ordered to gather in a park for identification parade. The locals objected to let ladies stay at their homes without being accompanied by any male members. Later the forces, in absence of male members, entered the houses and raped and molested a number of ladies. By hue and cry of the ladies, the male members tried to rush to their respective homes in order to rescue the ladies from the clutches of the armed forces. But the troops fired on the unarmed civilians of the locality and killed 25 of them on the spot.

September 11: A civil passenger bus, carrying about fifty persons, was intercepted by the BSF troops. Passengers were fired upon. 22 died on the spot. The bus was set on fire due to which eight persons got burnt alive.

October 01: The BSF personnel in Handwara town of Kupwara district started indiscriminate firing on the unarmed civilians, who were busy in marketing activities, killing 20 of them on the spot.

1991
January 19: The personnel of 42-CRPF opened indiscriminate fire, killing 11 civilians in Magarmalbagh, Srinagar. Most of the victims were waiting for bus and being a busy place, most of the passers-by received bullet shots and died on the spot.
January 30: In Achabal Islamabad, the Indian armed forces opened indiscriminate fire, killing seven innocent persons.

March 11: At Rakhi Haigam, Sopore, in Baramullah district, Indian armed forces started indiscriminate firing, killing six civilians, including Manzoor Ahmad Dar aged only 12 years.

March 16: The Indian troops cordoned the area in Pishwari Trehgam in Kupwara district. At that time about 12 persons were offering prayers in a mosque within the cordoned area. The forces directed the worshipers to come out of the Mosque but they could not come out as they were engaged in the prayers. The forces entered into the Mosque and started firing. The Imam (Leader of the prayers) did not break the prayers. He was shot in his head. Other persons were dragged in the compound of the Mosque and six more persons were shot dead.

May 05: At Khayam, Khanyar in Sriangar, the troops fired indiscriminately on the pedestrians due to which, five persons including a girl, Aisha, aged three years were killed.

May 8: In Pir Dastgeer, Khanyar locality of down town Srinagar, troops of CRPF, BSF's 2nd and 60th Bn opened fire on thousands of people who were assembled to bury some martyred Kashmiris. 18 civilians were killed. In this incident, one infant aged two years, and his father were also killed.

June 11: The CRPF troops opened indiscriminate fire, having been frightened by the sound of a tire burst, leaving 32 civilians killed in the densely populated area of Chotabazar, Srinagar. The killed included, shopkeepers, passers-by, old persons, women and children.

September 03: At Safanagri and Nelora in Pulwama district, the armed forces fired on unarmed civilians and more than 23 got killed.

1992
April 2: In Aloosa village of Bandipore tehsil of Baramullah district, the villagers were kept confined to the village limits for the whole day by the Indian troops, while those out for fishing were fired upon. At least five boatmen were killed in the firing. Many bodies were recovered from the Wular Lake as they had been made to sink by tying heavy stones to their limbs.

April 13: During early hours of the day, BSF troops charged into the area, comprising Mohalla Hajama, Talian, Syed Sultanpora, Mahrajpora, and Chinkipora, started indiscriminate firing which resulted in killing of 13 civilians including one woman.

July 2: There was a tyre burst of a moving vehicle, which created a panic in the crowded market of Lal Chowk Srinagar. In response the CRPF troops, posted at Hari Singh High Street, fired indiscriminately, killing six civilians.

July 6: The BSF men subjected Ishbar locality in the outskirts of Srinagar to indiscriminate firing and at least 7 civilians were killed.

July 13: Army personnel entered the village of Nasrullahpora, adjacent to Budgam, and started indiscriminate firing, killing ten innocent people.

August 15: In Taj Mohalla of Tral in Pulwama district, BSF troops killed 6 civilians in cold blood. One of them was burnt alive.
October 2: 10 civilians were killed in Handwara town of Kupwara district by BSF troops.

December 12: Indian troops killed 7 civilians in Kishtwar area of Doda district.

1993
January 6: 94 BSF-Bn personnel ran amuck, killing 57 civilians, mostly roasted alive, when they set ablaze 37 residential and 35 commercial structures at Sopore in Baramullah district.

April 10: 47 innocent Kashmiris were burnt alive when BSF set afire, most of the Lal Chowk, Srinagar, destroying 59 houses, 190 shops, 53 godowns and 2 office complexes.

July 01: In Baba Reshi area of Baramullah district, the troops started indiscriminate firing and killed 9 civilians who had come to the shrine.

July 30: In Hangubutch, Pulwama district 12 civilians were killed and 100 injured. A magisterial probe was announced but never completed.

August 01: Sub inspector Ajmer Singh of BSF, 60Bn along with three of his subordinates, killed a couple Abdul Rashid Dar and Hajra after barging into their residence in Daribal Srinagar. Their critically injured son Hilal succumbed to wounds in hospital. After thousands of people took to the streets in anti-India demonstration, the police and army resorted to firing, killing 10 of them.

August 14: Indian secret agents dragged out passengers from a bus on Sarthal link road in Kishtawar, Doda and sprayed them with bullets, killing 14 civilians.
October 22: Troops of BSF 7Bn opened fire on a procession in Bijbehara town of Islamabad district, killing 50 and injuring 100 civilians.

November 20: At Aadipora, in Sopore area of Baramullah district, the BSF personnel opened fire and killed five persons including a woman.

November 24: In Sangrama in Baramullah district, the BSF troops fired indiscriminately and killed seven unarmed civilians.

December 22: At Bulbul Nowgam in Shangas area of Islamabad district, the Indian troops fired indiscriminately, killing six civilians.

1994
January 24: Indian troops killed 18 Kashmiris in Kupwara.

May 10: In Bandipora BSF troops, during crack-down, arrested 9 persons in presence of the locals, took them to a military camp in Bandipora where they were killed and their dead bodies were handed over to their relatives.

1995
February 10: BSF opened fire in narrow business street, in Gad Kocha, Srinagar, killing 6 shopkeepers and injuring 38 others.

1996
January 5: Indian armed agents massacred 15 Kashmiris, 10 of them belonging to one family, in Barshala village of Doda district.
June 8: In Kamlari village of Doda district, Indian armed agents killed eight civilians.

1997
March 20: Seven civilians were killed in Sangrampura (Budgam).

April 7: A group of Indian secret agents swooped on Sanghrampora village, in Beerwa outskirts in Budgam district, and shot dead seven Kashmiris.

April 18: 27 civilians were killed in Prankote in Udhampur district in Jammu region.
September 19: In mortar shelling by BSF, 11 villagers were killed in remote village of Arin in Baramullah district.

1998
January 26: Indian agents swooped Wandhama village of Ganderbal tehsil in Srinagar district and massacred 26 Kashmiris.

June 19: 25 civilians were killed in Chapnari area Of Doda district in Jammu region.
June 28: In Madwa, Doda 9 villagers were massacred by 26-Rashtriya Rifles, on the Eid (Muslim festival) day.

July 28: 16 civilians were killed in two villages of Doda District in Jammu region.
August 3: Twenty civilians were killed in Sailain village of Surankote, Poonch. The dead included seven children.

August 8: 35 labourers were killed in Kalaban on Jammu-Himachal Pradesh border.

1999
February 20: Four civilians were killed at Muraputta-Rajouri, nine at Barlyara-Udhampur and seven at Bllala-Rajouri in Jammu.

February 20: In Baljaralan hamlet of Udhampur district, Indian armed agents killed 10 civilians. Apparently, the same group reappeared in Mora Pota in Budhal belt, and killed 4 members of a family.

June 29: Indian troops and their agents dragged out 17 civilians, including 5 women and 7 children, in twin hamlets of Morha Bichai and Sahotri in Poonch and killed them.
June 30: Fifteen labourers were killed in Anantnag district of south Kashmir.

2000
February 28: Five civilians were killed near qazigund in Anantnag district of Kashmir.

March 17: Indian secret agencies killed 7 truck drivers near a BSF camp at Qazigund in Islamabad district.

March 20: 35 civilians were massacred at Chatisinghpora in Anantnag.

March 24: Five innocent civilians, missing since March 24, 2000, were killed in custody and subsequently roasted by army at Brakpora in Islamabad district.

March 30: 7 protestors were killed by SOG troops near Pathirbal in Islamabad district, who were demanding dead bodies of Brakpora massacre.

May 14: Five teenagers, arrested from Sopore, were killed by Indian troops in Tangdar area of Kupwara district.

August 1: 35 Amarnath Yatris (pilgrims) were killed by Indian secret agencies and CRPF troops at Pahalgam in Islamabad district.

August 1: 31 civilians were massacred at Pahalgam in Anantnag.

August 1: 27 labourers were gunned down in Qazigund and Achabal in Anantnag.

August 2: Seven people of one family were killed in frontier district of Kupwara in North Kashmir.

August 2: 11 civilians were killed in Doda district of Jammu.

2001
February 03: Indian secret agencies killed 7 Sikhs at Mahjoornagar in Srinagar.

February 10: At Kotchatwal in Bhudal area of Rajouri district, 12 civilians including 6 kids and 4 women were killed by Indian troops and their secret agencies.

March 17: Eight people were massacred near Atholi in Doda.

March 21: At Mandi in Poonch district, the Indian troops used helicopters and gun ships and killed 10 Kashmiris.

March 31: At Doru, Islamabad, 7 Kashmiri drivers were killed by Indian troops.

July 21: 13 civilians were killed at Sheshnag in Anantnag.

July 22: 12 people were massacred in Cheerji and Tagood in Doda district of Jammu.

August 4: 15 villagers were killed in Ludder-Sharotid Har area of Doda.

August 6: Indian agents killed 7 civilians in Sajjar village of Atholi, in Kistwar tehsil of Doda district.

December 8: 10 unarmed civilians, including women and children, were killed in the indiscriminate military firing in Baramullah.

2002
January 6: 6 civilians were killed at Luddu and Ramsu,Doda.

January 20: 11 civilians were killed at Behra, Poonch.

January 21: Indian troops killed 14 persons including 8 children of 3 families, at Salwa village in Maindher area of Poonch in Rajouri district.

February 16: 8 civilians were killed at Nirala. Rajouri.

May 14: 36 civilians were killed at Kaluchak, Jammu.

July 13: 28 civilians were massacred at Kasimpura in Jammu.

August 5: Nine pilgrims were killed in Nuwan Pehalgam in Islamabad district.

2003
March 24: 24 civilians were massacred including 11 women and 2 children at Nadimerg village of Pulwama.

October 22: Seven members of a family were shot dead when armed Indian agents opened indiscriminate firing at a wedding ceremony in Domail area of Doda district.

2004
April 5: Seven civilians were killed at Pahalgam in Islamabad.

2006
May 01: 35 civilians were killed at Basantgarh in Udhampur and Kulhaang in Doda district.

India's Rape of own Commitments
Reporting Nehru's statement on holding plebiscite in Kashmir, The Amrita Bazar Patrika, Calcutta, in its January 2, 1952 issue quoted him saying: As a great nation, we cannot go back on it. We have left the question for final solution to the people of Kashmir and we are determined to abide by their decision.

The drama of so-called accession of Kashmir to India by Maharaja Hari Singh was staged by the Congress leaders in connivance with British Viceroy Lord Mountbatten, who was made the first Governor- General of India by Hindus to over see completion of partition plan to damage Pakistan. The mere fact that no document of accession is available with India or on UN record is proof of a combined plot that was hatched by Hindu leadership with their British well-wisher.

India is continuously harping on the blatant lie that Kashmir is an integral part of India. How has a disputed territory suddenly become part of India when the commitments made by her to allow people of Kashmir to express their choice have not been honoured. No plebiscite has been held. The Kashmiris have not opted to accede to India in any plebiscite. The UN had already ruled in 1951 and again in 1957 that any elected assembly in Indian occupied Kashmir shall have no right to decide the future of the state as to the question of accession to India or Pakistan.

The honourable Prime Minister and other prominent leaders of that 'great nation' had made solid solemn pledges and commitments that people of Kashmir shall be given the right to decide their future. These commitments made by India to the world, Pakistan and the Kashmiris are reproduced from the book, 1 " The Undying Spirit".

Part-I
Nehru, Indian Prime Minister’s Telegram to British and Pakistan Prime Ministers, October 27, 1947.

"I should like to make it clear that the question of aiding Kashmir in this emergency is not designed in any way to influence the State to accede to India. Our view which we have repeatedly made public is that the question of accession in any disputed territory or State must be decided in accordance with the wishes of people, and we adhere to this view".

Lord Mountbatten, Governor General of India, replies to Maharaja's (alleged) request for accession to India, October 27, 1947.

"In consistence with their policy that in the case of any State where the issue of accession has been the subject of dispute the question of accession should be decided in accordance with the wishes of the people of the State, it is my Government’s wish that as soon as law and order have been restored in Kashmir and her soil cleared of the invader, the question of State’s accession should be settled by a reference to the people".

Nehru, Indian Prime Minister’s telegram to Prime Minister of Pakistan,
October 28,1947.

"In regard to accession also, it has been made clear that this is subject to reference to people of State and their decision".

Nehru, Indian Prime Minister's broadcast to nation from All India Radio, November 2, 1947.

"We have declared that the fate of Kashmir is ultimately to be decided by the people. That pledge we have given (and the Maharajah has supported it) not only to the people of Kashmir but to the world. We will not and cannot back out of it. We are prepared when peace and law and order have been established to have referendum held under international auspices like the UN We want it to be a fair and just reference to the people, and we shall accept their verdict. I can imagine no fairer and juster offer".

" We are anxious not to finalise anything in a moment of crisis and without the fullest opportunity to be given to the people of Kashmir to have their way. It is for them ultimately to decide".

" And let me make it clear that it has been our policy all along that where there is a dispute about the accession of a State to either Dominion, the accession must be made by the people of the State. It is in accordance with this policy that we have added to proviso to the instrument of accession of Kashmir".

Nehru, Indian Prime Minister’s telegram to Pakistan Prime Minister,
November 4, 1947.

"I wish to draw your attention to broadcast on Kashmir which I made last evening. I have stated our Government’s policy and made it clear that we have no desire to impose our will on Kashmir but to leave final decision to the people of Kashmir.

I further stated that we have agreed on impartial International agency like UN supervising any referendum".

"This principle we are prepared to apply to any state where there is a dispute about accession. If these principles are accepted by your Government there should be no difficulty in giving effect to them".

Nehru, Indian Prime Minister’s telegram to Prime Minister of Pakistan,
November 8, 1947.

".... where the State has not acceded to that Dominion whose majority community is the same as State’s, the question whether State has finally acceded to one or other Dominion should be ascertained by reference to the will of people".

Nehru, Indian Prime Minister’s letter to Prime Minister of Pakistan,
November 21, 1947.

"Kashmir should decide question of accession by plebiscite or referendum under international auspices such as those of United Nations".

Nehru, Indian Prime Minister’s statement in Indian Constituent Assembly, November 25, 1947.

"In order to establish our bonafides, we have suggested that when the people are given the chance to decide their future, this should be done under the supervision of an impartial tribunal such as the United Nations Organisation. The issue in Kashmir is whether violence and naked force should decide the future or the will of the people".

Nehru, Indian Prime Minister’s telegram to Pakistan Prime Minister,
December 12, 1947.

"We have given further thought, in the light of our discussion in Lahore, to the question of inviting UN to advise us in this matter. While we are prepared to invite UNO observers to come here and advise us as to proposed plebiscite, it is not clear in what other capacity the UN help can be sought...

"... I confess, however, that I find myself unable to suggest anything beyond what I have offered already, namely, to ask UNO to send impartial observers to advise us regarding the plebiscite."

Nehru, Indian Prime Minister’s statement in Constituent Assembly of India, March 5, 1948.

"Even at the moment of accession, we went out of our way to make a unilateral declaration that we would abide by the will of the people of Kashmir as declared in a plebiscite or referendum. We insisted further that the Government of Kashmir must immediately become a popular government. We have adhered to that position throughout and we are prepared to have a plebiscite, with every protection for fair voting, and to abide by the decision of the people of Kashmir".

Nehru, Indian Prime Minister’s statement in Constituent Assembly of India,
March 5, 1948.

"... Ultimately there is no doubt in my mind that, in Kashmir as elsewhere, the people of Kashmir will decide finally, and all that we wish is that they should have freedom of decision without any external compulsion".

White Paper on Kashmir issued by Government of India, 1948.

"The question of accession is to be decided finally in a free plebiscite, on this there is no dispute. There will be no victimisation of any native of the State, whatever his political view may be, and no Kashmiri will be deprived of the right to vote".

Gopalaswami Ayyangar's address in Constituent Assembly May 27, 1949.

"No doubt we have offered to have a plebiscite taken when the conditions are created for the holding of a proper, fair and impartial plebiscite. But if the plebiscite produces a verdict which is against the continuance of accession to India of the Kashmir State, then what we are committed to is simply that we shall not stand in the way of Kashmir separating itself from India".

Nehru, Indian Prime Minister’s statement at press conference in London, January 16, 1951 (reported in The Statesman, New Delhi January 18, 1951)

"... We all agreed that it is the people of Kashmir who must decide for themselves about their future externally or internally. It is an obvious fact that, even without our agreement, no country is going to hold on to Kashmir against the will of the Kashmiris".

Nehru, Indian Prime Minister's statement in Indian Parliament, February 12, 1951.

"We had given our pledge to the people of Kashmir, and subsequently to the United Nations; we stood by it and we stand by it today. Let the people of Kashmir decide".

Nehru, Indian Prime Minister’s address at public meeting in Srinagar, June 4, 1951 (reported in The Hindu, Madras, June 5, 1951).

"First of all, I would like to remind you of the fateful days of 1947 when I came to Srinagar and gave the solemn assurance that the people of India would stand by Kashmir in her struggle. On that assurance, I shook Sheikh Abdullah’s hand before the vast multitude that had gathered there. I want to repeat that the Government of India will stand by that pledge, whatever happens. That pledge itself stated that it is for the people of Kashmir to decide their fate without external interference. That assurance also remains and will continue".

Nehru, Indian Prime Minister’s report to All- India Congress Committee (reported in The Statesman, New Delhi, July 9, 1951)

"Kashmir has been wrongly looked upon as a prize for India or Pakistan. People seem to forget that Kashmir is not a commodity for sale or to be bartered. It has an individual existence and its people must be the final arbiters of their future. It is here today that a struggle is being fought, not in the battlefield but in the minds of men".

Krishna Menon's Press statement in London
(The Statesman, New Delhi, August 2, 1951)

"It is not the intention of the Government of India to go back on any commitment it has made. We adhere strictly to our pledge of plebiscite in Kashmir - a pledge made to the people of Kashmir because they believe in democratic Government... We do not regard Kashmir as a commodity to be trafficked in".

Nehru, Indian Prime Minister’s statement, as reported by Amrita Bazar Patrika, Calcutta, January 2, 1952.

"Kashmir is not the property of either India or Pakistan, it belongs to the Kashmiri people. When Kashmir acceded to India, we made it clear to the leaders of the Kashmir people that we would ultimately abide by the verdict of their plebiscite. If they tell us to walk out, I would have no hesitation in quitting Kashmir..."

We have taken the issue to the United Nations and given our word of honour for a peaceful solution... As a great nation, we cannot go back on it. We have left the question for final solution to the people of Kashmir and we are determined to abide by their decision."

Nehru, Indian Prime Minister’s statement in Indian Parliament, June 26, 1952.

"If, after a proper plebiscite, the people of Kashmir said, ‘we do not want to be with India’, we are committed to accept it though it might pain us. We will not send an army against them. We will accept that, however hurt we might feel about it, we will change the Constitution, if necessary.

"India is a great country and Kashmir is almost in the heart of Asia. There is an enormous difference not only geographically but in all kinds of facts there. Do you think (in dealing a with Kashmir) you are dealing with a part of UP or Bihar or Gujrat ?"

Nehru, Indian Prime Minister’s speech at public meeting in New Delhi, as reported in The Times of India, Bombay, July 7 1952.

"In any event, from the start India was committed to the principle of letting the final word regarding accession rest with the people of the princely states and there could be no getting away from that commitment. In fact, that was why India had accepted Kashmir’s accession only provisionally in 1947, pending the expression of the will of the people".

Nehru, Indian Prime Minister’s statement in Indian Parliament, August 7, 1952.

"... With all deference to this Parliament, I would like to say that the ultimate decision will be made in the minds and hearts of the men of Kashmir and not in this Parliament or at the UN.... First of all, let me say clearly that we accept the basic proposition that the future of Kashmir is going to be decided finally by the goodwill and pleasure of our people. The good will and pleasure of this Parliament is of no importance in this matter, not because this Parliament does not have the strength to decide the question of Kashmir but because any kind of imposition would be against the principle that this Parliament holds.... If, however, the people of Kashmir do not wish to remain with us, let them go by all means; we will not keep them against their will, however painful it may be to us. We want no forced marriages, no forced unions...

"I want to stress that it is only the people of Kashmir who can decide the future of Kashmir. It is not that we have merely said that to the United Nations and to people of Kashmir; it is our conviction and one that is borne out by the policy that we have pursued, not only in Kashmir but everywhere. Though these five years have meant a lot of trouble and expense, and in spite of all we have done we would willingly leave Kashmir if it was made clear to us that the people of Kashmir wanted us to go. However sad we may feel about leaving, we are not going to stay against the wishes of the people. We are not going to impose ourselves on them at the point of the bayonet.

"I started with the presumption that it is for the people of Kashmir to decide their own future. We will not compel them. In that sense, the people of Kashmir are sovereign."

Joint Communiqué by Prime Ministers of Pakistan and India, August 20, 1953.

"The Kashmir dispute was specially discussed at some length. It was their firm opinion that this should be settled in accordance with the wishes of the people of that State with a view to promoting their well-being and causing the least disturbances to the life of the State. The most feasible method of ascertaining the wishes of the people was by fair and impartial plebiscite. Such a plebiscite had been proposed and agreed to some years ago. Progress, however, could not be made because of lack of agreement in regard to certain preliminary issues. The Prime Ministers agreed that these preliminary issues should be considered by them directly in order to arrive at agreements in regard to this. These agreements would have to be given effect to and the next step would be appointment of a Plebiscite Administrator".

Nehru, Indian Prime Minister's letter to Prime Minister of Pakistan,
September 3, 1953.

"... We suggested the salutary rule that the Plebiscite Administrator should be chosen from some small and more or less neutral country of Asia or Europe. There are many such countries and there should be no difficulty in finding an eminent and impartial person from among them.

"As a result of the plebiscite over the entire state, we would be in a position to consider the matter, so that the final decision should cause the least disturbance and should take into consideration geographical, economic and other important factors.

"I should like to make it clear that there is no intention on my part to exclude the UN from this question of Kashmir. The Plebiscite Administrator would function under UN supervision but it seems to me quite obvious that while the UN can be helpful, any settlement must depend upon the consent and co-operation of India and Pakistan. Therefore, it is for us to agree and not to look to the UN to produce some settlement, without our agreement.

"... If we aim, as we must, at closer and co-operative relationship between India and Pakistan, we must find a solution of the Kashmir problem which is not only satisfactory to the people as a whole there but is also achieved without bitterness and sense of continuing wrong to India or Pakistan.

"... Obviously, the Kashmir problem is of high importance; in some way the most important problem before us, and we must tackle it".

Nehru, Indian Prime Minister’s letter to Pakistan’s Prime Minister,
November 10, 1953.

"You refer to the question of regional plebiscite. I can only repeat what I endeavoured to put before you when we met. Our object is to give freedom to the people of Kashmir to decide their future in a peaceful way so as to create no upset, as we said in our joint statement...

"Therefore, I had suggested that the plebiscite should be for the State as a whole and the detailed result of the plebiscite would then be the major factor for the decision to be taken. The detailed result will give us a fairly clear indication of the wishes of the people not only in the state as whole but in different areas."

Nehru, Indian Prime Minister’s statement in Indian Parliament, February 22, 1954.

"[The Constituent Assembly of Kashmir] did not come - it cannot come - in the way of our observing our international commitments in regard to a plebiscite, in regard to anything".

Nehru, Indian Prime Minister’s speech, as reported in The Times of India, May 16, 1954.

"India will stand by her international commitments on the Kashmir issue and implement them at the appropriate time.

" The repudiation of international commitments would lower India’s prestige abroad".

Nehru, Indian Prime Minister’s statement in India Council of States, May 18, 1954.

"Every assurance we have given, every international commitment we have made in regard to Kashmir holds good and stands. Difficulties have come in the way and may come in its fulfilment, but the difficulties are not of our seeking but of others. But so far as the Government of India are concerned, every assurance and international commitment in regard to Kashmir stands".

Nehru, Indian Prime Minister’s statement in Indian Parliament, March 31, 1955.

"... Kashmir is not a thing to be bandied about between India and Pakistan but it has a soul of its own and an individuality of its own. Nothing can be done without the goodwill and consent of the people of Kashmir".

Part-II
Letter from Government of India to UN, December 31, 1947.

"... The people of Kashmir would be free to decide their future by the recognised democratic method of plebiscite or referendum, which in order to ensure complete impartiality may be held under international auspices.

" This was also in accordance with Mahatma Gandhi's view, since he had stated that the India Government sent troops by air to Kashmir telling the Maharaja that the accession was provisional upon an impartial plebiscite being taken of Kashmir irrespective of religion".

Gopalaswami Ayyangar at Security Council, January 15, 1948.

"In accepting the accession they [the Government of India] refused to take advantage of the immediate peril in which the State found itself and informed the Ruler that the accession should finally be settled by plebiscite as soon as peace had been restored. They have subsequently made it quite clear that they are agreeable to the plebiscite being conducted if necessary under international auspices".

Gopalasawami Ayyangar, at Security Council, January 15, 1948.

"On the question of accession, the Government of India has always enunciated the policy that in all cases of dispute the people of the State concerned should make the decision."

Gopalasawami Ayyangar, at Security Council, January 15, 1948.

"... We have no further interest, and we have agreed that a plebiscite in Kashmir might take place under international auspices after peace and order have been established".

Gopalasawami Ayyangar, at Security Council, January 15, 1948.

"... Whether she [Kashmir] should withdraw from her accession to India, and either accede to India or remain independent, with a right to claim admission as a member of the UN - all this we have recognised to be matter for unfettered decision by the people of Kashmir after normal life is restored there.

"We desire only to see peace restored in Kashmir and to ensure that the people of Kashmir are left free to decide in an orderly and peaceful manner the future of their State. We have no further interest, and we have agreed that a plebiscite in Kashmir might take place under international auspices after peace and order have been established".

Gopalasawami Ayyangar, at Security Council, January, 1948.

"The question of the future status of Kashmir vis-à-vis her neighbour and the world at large and a further question, namely, whether she should withdraw from her accession to India and either accede to Pakistan or remain independent with a right to claim admission as a member of the United Nations - all this we have recognised to be a matter of unfettered decision by the people of Kashmir after normal life is restored to them".

Gopalasawami Ayyangar, at Security Council, February 3, 1948.

"... As the Security Council is aware, the Government of India is fully committed to the view that , after peace is restored and all people belonging to the State have returned there, a free plebiscite should be taken and the people should decide whether they wish to remain with India, to go over to Pakistan, or to remain independent, if they choose to do so".

Gopalasawami Ayyangar, at Security Council, February 6, 1948.

"... When the emergency has passed and normal conditions are restored, she will be free, by means of a plebiscite, either to ratify her accession to India, or to change her mind and accede to Pakistan, or remain independent. We shall not stand in the way if she elects to change her mind. That, I think, is the proper description of India’s attitude."

Sir Benegal Rau, at Security Council, February 7, 1950.

" It is therefore clear that the admission of representatives from any particular State into the Indian Constituent Assembly did not necessarily imply accession. As I have said, Kashmir had this right to representation ever since April 1947; it acceded tentatively, in October 1947 so that the accession came after the grant of the right and not the other way round".

Telegram from Indian Prime Minister Nehru to UN Representative for India and Pakistan, August 16, 1950.

"We have not opposed at any time an overall plebiscite for the State as a whole but you made some alternative suggestions because you came to the conclusion that there were no prospects of an agreement as to conditions preliminary to such a plebiscite....

"We have always recognised that any plan for a plebiscite should be such that the people concerned would be enabled to express their feelings freely and without fear....

"It has always been our view that, in the event of a plebiscite, the people of Kashmir should decide their future for themselves. Kashmiris who have gone out of the State should, of course, be entitled to return for this purpose. But I do not think that others have any claim to participate in a plebiscite campaign."

B. N. Rao in Security Council, March 29, 1951.

"The Constituent Assembly* cannot be physically prevented from expressing an opinion on this question if it so chooses. But this opinion will not bind my Government or prejudice the position of this Council."

* Which was to be convened by the Kashmir National Conference for deciding the accession issue - ED.

Krishna Menon, Indian Representative at UN General Assembly, referring to Congo Problem, April 5, 1951.

"Irrespective of the voting of this resolution, an abstention or two, the fact is that is the law of the United Nations at the present time.... My government has always taken the view that resolutions, if they are passed, must be implemented."

Letter of September 11, 1951 addressed to the UN Representative for
India and Pakistan.

"As regards paragraph 4, the Government of India not only reaffirms its acceptance of the principle that the question of the continuing accession of the State of Jammu and Kashmir to India shall be decided through the democratic method of a free and impartial plebiscite under the auspices of the United Nations, but is anxious that the conditions necessary for such a plebiscite should be created as quickly as possible."

Letter from Indian Prime Minister Nehru to UN Representative for India and Pakistan, September 11, 1951.

"... The Government of India agree that the Plebiscite Administrator should be appointed as soon as conditions in the State, on both sides of the cease-fire line, permit of a start being made with the arrangements for carrying out the plebiscite. To appoint the Plebiscite Administrator before would be premature.

"The Government of India would, therefore, prefer such a proposal to be omitted from the present document; it would be more appropriately included in proposals that deal specifically and in detail with the holding of the plebiscite and connected matters."

Mrs. Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, at Security Council, December 8, 1952.

"We do not seek to go behind the UNCIP resolutions, or to ignore the vital elements of principle contained in them... We have always adhered to the UNCIP resolutions.... We cannot be a party to the reversal of previous decisions taken by the United Nations Commission with the agreement of the parties."

Krishna Menon, at Security Council, January 24, 1957.

"... I want to say for the purpose of the record that there is nothing that has been said on behalf of the Government of India which in the slightest degree indicates that the Government of India or the Union of India will dishonour any international obligations it has undertaken."

Krishna Menon, at Security Council, February 8, 1957.

"It is possible, for any sovereign state to cede territory. If, as a result of a plebiscite, the people decided that they did not want to stay with India, then our duty at that time would be to adopt those constitutional procedures which would enable us to separate that territory."

Krishna Menon, at Security Council, February 20, 1957.

"The resolutions of January 17, 1948 and the resolutions of the UNCIP, the assurance given, these are all resolutions which carry a greater weight - that is because we have accepted them, we are parties to them, whether we like them or not."

Krishna Menon, at Security Council, October 9, 1957.

"...These documents (UNCIP reports) and declarations and the resolutions of the Security Council are decisions; they are resolutions, there has been some resolving of a question of one character or another, there has been a meeting of minds on this question where we have committed ourselves to it."

Krishna Menon, referring to Goa, The Statesman, Delhi, January 19, 1962.

" India believes that sovereignty rests in the people and should return to them."

Part-III
UN Commission for India and Pakistan, January, 1949.

"As a result of these conversations the Commission on December 11, 1948, communicated its proposals to the two Governments. The main points of those proposals were: that the accession of the State of Jammu and Kashmir would be decided by way of a free and impartial plebiscite, that the Secretary General of the UN would nominate in agreement with the commission a plebiscite Administrator who would be a person of high international standing and who would derive from the Government of Jammu and Kashmir the powers which he considers necessary to organise and conduct a free and impartial plebiscite....

"Both Governments... accepted the proposals and declared the cessation of hostilities in the territory of the State of Jammu and Kashmir as from January 1, 1949."

UN Mediator Dr. E. Graham’s proposals to UN September 7, 1951.

"The Governments of India and Pakistan:

"4. Reaffirm their acceptance of the principle that the question of the accession of the State of Jammu and Kashmir to India or Pakistan will be decided through the democratic method of a free and impartial plebiscite under the auspices of the UN"

Proceedings of Security Council, January - February, 1957.

"On February 21, the Security Council requested its President (Gunnar Jarring of Sweden) to examine with the two Governments any proposal likely to promote settlement of the Kashmir issue having regard to the earlier resolutions of the Council and the UNCIP. By an earlier resolution of January 24, 1957, the Council had affirmed its old stand to determine Kashmir’s future by plebiscite and declared that any action by the Kashmir assembly and its support by the parties would not constitute disposition of the State in keeping with that principle."

Resolution adopted by Security Council on January 24, 1957.

"The Security Council:

"Having heard statements from representatives of the Governments of India and Pakistan concerning the dispute over the State of Jammu and Kashmir;

"Reminding the Governments and authorities concerned of the principle embodied in its Resolutions of 21 April 1948, 3 June 1948, 14 March 1950 and 30 March 1950, and the United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan Resolutions of 13 August 1948 and 5 January 1949, that the final disposition of the State of Jammu and Kashmir will be made in accordance with the will of the people expressed through the democratic method of a free and impartial plebiscite conducted under the auspices of the United Nations;

"Reaffirms the affirmation in its Resolution of March 30, 1951 and declares that the convening of a Constituent Assembly as recommended by the General Council of the "All Jammu and Kashmir National Conference" and any action that Assembly may have taken or might attempt to take to determine the future shape and affiliation of the entire State or any part thereof, or action by the parties concerned in support of any such action by the Assembly, would not constitute a disposition of the State in accordance with the above principle;

"Decides to continue its consideration of the dispute."

CONCLUSION
Nehru, the Prime Minister of India, pursued a policy of deception, a rape of his own pious commitments and remained a perfect disciple of Hindu Political Statecraft i.e. Chanakiya. Dr. Ayyub Thukar makes an interesting comment:

" Sir Owen Dixon was once forced to affirm that, the fellow (Nehru) is lying. Others have said of him that in and out of office, he was fond of riding a high moral horse. He thereby not only threw dust in the eyes of the world, he also succeeded in deceiving himself. He finally arrived like a Humpty Dumpty, at the stage where words did not mean what they connoted, but what he said they meant".

The deception by the prominent successive Indian Leadership has been blasted off for good by the Nuclear Blasts in the sub-continent. The scenario in South Asia has changed. The entire world community now accepts that Kashmir is the root cause of bad blood between India and Pakistan. The carefully worked out strategy by India to put the Issue in the cold forever has failed. Kashmir has come into the limelight, despite all efforts by India to the contrary. It is time that India realises the gravity of the situation and tries honestly to end the sufferings of Kashmiris forever; who are fighting to gain liberty from Indian occupation

Indian Army officer behind mosque bombingLieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit was a serving army officer when arrested for his alleged connection with the Malegaon blast. He is accused of supplying RDX for the blast.

A powerful bomb, fitted on a motor bike, went off in Bhikku chowk area on September 29,2008. The bomb killed six persons and injured 101 persons. This was the second blast in two years. The anti-terrorism squad (ATS) arrested 11 persons belonging to Abhinav Bharat outfit. The trial is on in a Nashik court.

Purohit organised a terror training camp near Pachmarhi in MP for semi-literate Hindus. The recruits were taught how to make firearms, assemble and operate them for ‘self-defence’ in the 15-day session. However, the intention was not self-defence but to disrupt communal harmony.

Moreover, the confessional statements and witnesses’ testimonies in the Malegaon blast case have revealed that rightwing group Abhinav Bharat’s meetings discussed the possibility of an attack on Urs celebrations in Panipat.

CASE HISTORY
Malegaon blast: Sept 29, 2008
Bomb’s make: RDX, ammonium nitrate, oil fuel, shrapnel
Spot: Bhikku Chowk, Malegaon
Time: 9.35 pm
Occasion: Two days before Ramzan Eid
Killed: Six, including an 11-yr-old
Injured: 101 persons
Investigating agency: The antiterrorism squad
Total arrested: 11
Still absconding: Ramji Kalangsara, Sandeep Dange and Pravin Mutalik
Who are they? Members of Hindu hardliners’ outfits, Abhinav Bharat, Jai Vande Matram Jan Kalyan Samiti, Hindu Rashtra Sena, among others
Confessional statements: 2
MCOCA slapped on the case: Nov 20, 2008
Pages in the chargesheet: 4,528 (filed on Jan 20, 2009)
MCOCA dropped by a special court: July 31, 2009

Behind Bars:
* Pragya Singh Thakur (38): A former member of Durga Vahini, BJP's women's wing. A masters degree holder in History, Thakur took Sanyas and became a Sadhvi in January 2007. Thakur's bike was used to plant bomb in Malegaon. She is accused of engineering the blast.
She was arrested on October 23.

* Shamlal Sahu (42): He is suspected to be one of the bomb planter. A commerce graduate from Christian College in Indore, Sahu has a mobile phone shop and also acted as a realty broker. According to Madhya Pradesh PWD minister, Kailash Vijayvargia, Sahu is a BJP member. Sahu is also accused of conspiring the bomb blast.
He was arrested on October 23.

* Shivnarayan Kalangasara Singh (36): A B Sc graduate from New Sciene college in Indore, Singh works as an electrician and is also an LIC agent. He has been termed as ``mechanical and electrical'' expert by the ATS. He is suspected to have assembled the timer device while making the bomb.
He was arrested on October 23.

* Sameer Kulkarni (32): A former member of Akhil Bharatya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) who moved from Maharashtra to Bhopal a few years ago. He was emploeyed in a printing press and would distribute pamphletes and literature ``to educate Hindu youths'' about religion. He is supected to have brough the chemicals used in the bomb.
He was arrested on October 28.

* Retired major Ramesh Upadhyay (64): A resident of Akurdi in Pune, he worked in Military's intelliegence unit. Upadhyay is suspected to have provided training to the planters for assembling bombs and procuring the bomb material. He also headed BJP's ex servicemen's cell in Mumbai but was removed by the higher authorities.
He was arrested on October 28.

* Ajay Rahirkar (39): He was the treasurer of Abhinav Bharat and part of the fund raisers' group. He is a Pune resident and had paid Rs 2.5 lakh to Swami Dayanand Pandey prior to the blast.
He was arrested on November 2.

* Rakesh Dhawde (35): Dhawde has been booked in four bomb blasts cases too. They were Qadriya mosque blast in Jalna, Mohammediya mosque blast in Parbhani, another mosque blast at Porna and a bomb blast at a Bajrang Dal member, Laxman Rajkondwar's house on April 6, 2006. A Pune resident, Dhawde also arranged terror training for the Bajrang Dal members and collected weapons for training. He was a weapon consultant for Aamir Khan starrer movie, Mangal Pandey- The Rising.
He was arrested on November 2.

* Jagdish Mhatre (40): A habitual criminal and accused in murder and extortion cases in Kalyan and Thane, Mhatre resided at Dombivili at the time of his arrest. He had paid money to Dhawde to buy weapons.
He was arrested on November 2.

* Lt. Colonel Prasad Shrikant Purohit (37): He is accused of procuring the RDX used in the blast. Arranged and attended meetings, collectd funds and is a prime conspirator. He was posted at the Army Education Corpse Training Centre and College in Panchmadi, Madhya Pradesh where he was doing a course in Arabic at the time of his arrest.
He was arrested on November 5.

* Swami Dayanand Pandey alias Shankar Acharya alias Sukhakar Dwuvedi (40): He had asked Purohit to arrange for explosves for the Malegaon blast. He conducted meetings with the other accused. He ran two ashrams, one Kanpur and another in Jammu and Kashmir, prior to his arrest.
He was arrested on November 14.

* Sudhakar Chaturvedi (37): Originally a resident of Mirzapur in UP, Chaturvedi was picked up from Deolali where he stayed in a rented room. He is accused of conspiracy.
He was arrested on November 18.


Case was first registered at the Azad Nagar police station in Malegaon on September 29, 2008. Later, it was transferred to the ATS police station (CR No. 18/08) in Mumbai.

CHARGES
The accused have been booked under the Indian Penal Code for crimes such as murder under Section 302, attempt to murder under Section 307 and conspiracy under Section 120-B. They have been slapped with provisions of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act for trying to ‘overawe the government’ and ‘threatening the unity and integrity of the nation’, under the Explosives Act for use of RDX to engineer the blast, and the MCOCA for being members of an organised crime syndicate.

* Sections of the Indian Penal Code: 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 327 (voluntarily causing hurt to extort property, or to constrain to an illegal to an act) and 153 (d).

* Sections 15, 18 and 23 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA)
* Sections 3, 4 and 5 of the Explosive Substance Act
* Sections 3, 7and 25 of the Arms Act
* Sections 3 (1) (i) and 3 (2) (3) (4) of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA)


THE FILES EVIDENCE
* The bike used in the blast is said to have been once owned by Sadhvi Pragya
* Recorded conversation between Lt Col Prasad Purohit and retired Major Ramesh Upadhyaya * Traces of RDX found in Sudhakar Chaturvedi’s house SMS messages sent from Purohit’s phone to Upadhyaya Two important confession statements made in the presence of a magistrate
* 431 witnesses, of which five are army officers
* 12 written witness statements
* A laptop seized from Dayanand Pandey containing valuable proof

Why Kashmiris observe October 27 as Black Day!

Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control and across the globe observe October 27 as Black Day and consider it as the blackest day in the history of Kashmir. This is the Day when India landed its army in Jammu and Kashmir, in total disregard to the Indian Independence Act and Partition Plan in 1947.

In order to change the demographic composition of the territory, Indian troops, the forces of Dogra Maharaja Hari Singh, and Hindu extremists massacred over three hundred thousand Kashmiri Muslims within a period of two months.
The Indian Independence Act and Partition Plan of 1947 had stated that the Indian British Colony would be divided into two sovereign states, India, with Hindu-majority areas, and Pakistan, with the Muslim-majority areas of Western provinces and east Bengal.
India by landing its Army in Jammu and Kashmir violated the guidelines set for deciding the future of Hyderabad, Junagarh and Kashmir, three of the independent Princely States at that time, which were given the choice to either accede to Pakistan or India, considering the geographical situation and communal demography. It forcibly occupied the Hyderabad and Junagarh, which had Hindus in majority but their rulers were Muslims. Kashmir was a Muslim-majority state and had a natural tendency to accede to Pakistan, but its Hindu ruler destroyed the future of Kashmiri people by announcing its accession to India under a controversial accession document (Instrument of Accession). Many neutral observers deny the existence of such document with the argument that had it been there Indian government had made it public either officially or at any international forum.
It is a historical fact that if the partition was done on the principles of Justice then India had no land route to enter into Jammu and Kashmir but the so-called Boundary Commission, headed by British Barrister, Cyril Radcliff, that demarcated partition line, under a conspiracy split Gurdaspur, a Muslim majority area, and handed it over to India, providing it terrestrial access to the territory.
Right from the day one, the people of Kashmir did not accept India's illegal occupation and started an armed struggle with the total support of public in 1948, which forced India to approach the UN Security Council to seek help of the World Body to settle the dispute. The UN Security Council through its successive resolutions nullified Indian invasion and occupation of Kashmir. It also approved a ceasefire, demarcation of the ceasefire line, demilitarization of the state and a free and impartial plebiscite to be conducted under the supervision of the World Body. Although the ceasefire and demarcation of the ceasefire line was implemented while demilitarization of the occupied territory and a free and impartial plebiscite under UN supervision remain unimplemented till date. As a result of the demarcation, about 139,000 square kilometers area of Jammu and Kashmir remained with India while 83,807 square kilometers constituted the territory of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Indian rulers promised before the UN to resolve the dispute and provide the people of Kashmir with their basic right of self-determination, but later backed away from their commitments. India has been putting peace, security and stability of the entire South Asia at stake by demonstrating continued rigidity and stubbornness and not responding positively to the efforts made by the international community to settle the Kashmir dispute during the last more than six decades.
Disappointed at the failure of all the efforts aimed at resolving the Kashmir dispute through peaceful means, the people of occupied Kashmir launched a massive uprising in 1989 to secure their right to self-determination. This movement gathered momentum with the passage of time and pushed the Indian authorities to wall, forcing them to sit around the negotiation table with Pakistan in January 2004. The talks process continued till it was hampered after Mumbai attacks on November 26, 2008, when India without any substantive evidence laid the responsibility of these attacks on Pakistan and its intelligence agencies. However, Prime Ministers of the two countries, Yousuf Raza Gilani and Manmohan Singh after a meeting at Sharm El-Sheikh, on July 16, 2009, in a joint statement declared to resume the composite dialogue process to resolve all outstanding issues.
It is worth mentioning that Pakistan demonstrated considerable flexibility in the dialogue process by floating various proposals including demilitarization, self-governance and joint-management to settle the conflict over Kashmir, but India's intransigent approach continued to remain the biggest hurdle in making successful any effort made in this regard. The ground situation in the occupied territory remains unchanged, as the confidence building measures and the dialogue process could not provide Kashmiri people respite from the Indian state terrorism.
India has exhausted all its resources and means but has not been able to deter Kashmiris from continuing their liberation struggle. It has given a free hand to its troops and police to subject peaceful protesters to brute force. Over 70 people were killed only within a period of two months in 2008 when Indian police personnel resorted to indiscriminate firing to break up demonstrators in Kashmir. The Chairman of All Parties Hurriyet Conference, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq was placed under house arrest for two months to prevent him from addressing public gatherings. Liberation leaders including Syed Ali Gilani, Shabbir Ahmed Shah, Aasiya Andrabi, Nayeem Ahmed Khan, Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai, Masarat Alam Butt and Muhammad Saleem Nunnaji have been booked under the infamous draconian law, Public Safety Act to keep them away from the people. The troops have been setting new records of human rights violations by killing innocent people, arresting youth, disgracing and harassing women and setting residential houses afire with impunity.
The troops have killed over ninety-two thousand Kashmiris, widowed more than twenty five thousand women, orphaned more than one hundred thousand children and molested or gang-raped around ten thousand Kashmiri women during the past 20 years. The whereabouts of thousands of innocent Kashmiris, disappeared in the custody of troops, are yet to be made known while hundreds of unnamed graves have been discovered in the occupied territory, which are believed to be of disappeared Kashmiris. This whole mayhem is being carried out with the protection of draconian laws, by virtue of which any person can be killed or put behind the bars without any accountability.
The All Parties Hurriyet Conference sources made a shocking revelation recently that in line with a new scheme, Indian troops were killing innocent Kashmiri youth in fake encounters in the areas near the Line of Control after arresting them from different parts of the occupied territory. According to the APHC sources through these killings India wanted to mislead the international community by propagating that Kashmiri youth were trying to enter Indian occupied Kashmir after crossing over the Line of Control.
The Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Asia Watch and other international humanitarian organizations in their regular reports over the unabated rights abuses in the occupied territory have been raising their concern. Even the European Union Parliament during its session in Strasbourg on July 10, 2008 unanimously passed a resolution calling upon the Indian Government to urgently conduct an independent and impartial probe into the issue of discovery of mass graves in the territory. It also strongly condemned unlawful killings, enforced disappearances, torture, rape and other human rights abuses, which have been taking place at the hands of the occupation troops in Jammu and Kashmir since 1989.
It was yet another exposition of India's callousness that the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh on India's Independence Day, this year, tried to hoodwink the international community by stating that the elections in Kashmir had rendered the freedom element irrelevant. To protest this unrealistic statement Kashmiri people observed crippling strike on August 22. Pakistan's Foreign Minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi while addressing a meeting of Kashmiri leaders on September 4, 2009 in Islamabad categorically emphasized that the elections in Indian occupied Kashmir could not be a substitute of Kashmiris' right to self-determination. He reaffirmed his country's moral, political and diplomatic support to Kashmir liberation movement. The mammoth anti-India protest demonstrations, participated by millions of people in Indian occupied Kashmir, last year, should be taken as Kashmiris' referendum against the Indian illegal occupation of their soil.
These are the reasons that why Kashmiris observe October 27 as Black Day. The observance is intended to send a loud and clear message to the international community to take cognizance of the miseries of Kashmiri people, help stop human rights violations in the occupied territory and play its role in bringing about a solution of the Kashmir dispute in accordance with Kashmiris' aspirations. It is also aimed at calling upon India to read writing on the wall, accept the ground realities and come forward with a realistic approach to settle the dispute for the larger interest of the people of the region.