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Pastimes : The New Qualcomm - write what you like thread. -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: foundation who wrote (6032)	3/25/2003 7:32:37 AM
From: foundation	Respond to of 12246

Islamic militants kill 24 Hindus in Kashmir massacre By Phil Reeves Asia Correspondent 25 March 2003 The blood-letting in Indian-controlled Kashmir worsened yesterday with an attack in which Indian police said at least 24 Hindus, including women and children, were massacred by Islamist militants. The killings caused fury in India and renewed concerns in the international community that India and Pakistan are heading for another showdown just as the world's attention is trained on Iraq. The Indian Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, summoned his cabinet's security committee to discuss how to react to the assault. It was the bloodiest militant attack in Kashmir since state elections late last year. Delhi is sure to point an accusing finger at Pakistan, which it says is behind militant attacks in the part of Kashmir under Indian rule. This will deepen anxiety in Islamabad that India will eventually use the violence as a pretext for a pre- emptive military strike against "terror", following the example of the British and Americans. The Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, called his Indian counterpart, Yashwant Sinha, to express his "shock" at the "appalling murder ... of innocent civilians". In words that will be seen in this region as drawing a connection with the invasion of Iraq, Mr Straw released a statement saying that "these killings, as with earlier terrorist attacks, underline the need for continued action to eliminate the scourge of terrorism". The attack was yet more evidence that the picture in Kashmir is growing darker, at a time when there is no evidence of any serious diplomatic initiative or behind-the-scenes effort to resolve the crisis. It came only a day after the assassination of Abdul Majid Dar, former leader of Hizbul Mujahedin, one of the main anti-India guerrilla groups. He is thought to have been killed by hardliners for showing a willingness to enter secret talks with the Indian government. The killings took place in a densely forested mountain area early yesterday. Militants seeking to overthrow Indian rule and oust Hindus from a Muslim- dominated area raided the village of Nadi Marg, 30 miles south of Srinagar, the summer capital. A senior local police official said they snatched weapons from four police guarding the Kashmiri "Pandits" – members of an upper-caste Hindu minority – and began firing indiscriminately. The police reportedly ran away when the shooting started. Reports said the victims included 11 women and two children, aged four and five. The gunmen were said to have fled into the forest afterwards. The bloodshed has undermined promises by the new state government to ensure the safety of the Pandits. In January 1998, there was a similar incident in which 23 Kashmiri Pandits were killed. The killings will damage the standing of Kashmir's Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, who was sworn in in November. He had promised to bring a "healing touch" to the divided province and was hoping to attract increased investment to it. He had also been hoping to lure Pandits back to the area. More than 300,000 Hindus have fled their homes in the Kashmir Valley since the separatist insurgency began in Kashmir. It has claimed more than 60,000 lives in 14 years. The area where the village was attacked is in a separatist stronghold. Reports said that it was impossible to tell whether the gunmen had entered from Pakistani Kashmir or come from the many groups that live in the Kashmir Valley's forests. news.independent.co.uk