Khushwant Singh On Anantnag Massacre

When you don't know who did it, why they did it, all you can do is to gnash your teeth in rage and shed tears of sorrow to condole with those who have been so cruelly deprived of their fathers, brothers and sons. I refer to the dastardly killing of 36 of our countrymen, all of whom happened to be Sikhs of village Chattisinghpura in Kashmir.

The finger of suspicion points directly at infiltrators from Pakistan. Pakistan denies it or any of its agencies had a hand in the massacre of innocents. On the contrary, it casts the blame on some Indian agency to further blacken the name of Pakistan. So far none of the terrorist groups active in the Valley have owned responsibility for the crime. Kashmiri Muslims rightly proud of their tradition of fraternal relationship with Hindus and Sikhs have condemned it and again affirmed their cordial feelings towards their fellow Kashmiris. Under the circumstances, however enraged we may feel, we owe it to ourselves not to harbour ill-will against our Muslim brethren nor vent our anger against public property ...

Having said this I think we have every right to express our lack of confidence in the people whose duty it was to, ensure the safety of our citizens. Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah's writ does not run in the State any more. Home Minister Lal Krishna Advani entrusted with the job of maintaining law and order and proper functioning of our intelligence agencies must answer for their failure in

forestalling the incident. And Defence Minister George Fernandes who has deployed a substantial proportion of our army and paramilitary forces in Kashmir must answer for their continuing failure to prevent infiltration of elements hostile to us entering our soil and gangs of terrorists ability to strike at different targets of their own choice.

There may be some truth in Advani's fears that in targeting a Sikh village there may be a sinister design to force Sikhs out of the Valley as they forced out Kashmiri Pandits. This must be resisted at all costs.,. We must not allow a repetition of what happened at the time of the partition of the country in 1947. (Source: The Hindustan Times, 1.April, 2000)

Massacre in the Valley Editorial, The Hindustan Times, 23 Mar., 2000

The wanton killing of members of the Sikh community by terrorists in south Kashmir sets two dubious records.

It is the largest group massacre ... in the Valley since Pakistan started its low-intensity warfare in Kashmir a decade ago. It is also the first time that the minority Sikh community of Kashmir has been targeted. So, quite possibly, the perpetrators are now looking at ethnic cleansing as an objective, having earlier driven out most of the minority Hindus. Clearly, both Srinagar and New Delhi have been caught unawares ...

It is a truism to suggest that the timing of the carnage was dictated by President Clinton's visit to this country. It is equally a truism that terrorist outfits nurtured and abetted by Islamabad have perpetrated the grisly act. So, clearly, a not-so-subtle political message is being conveyed by Pakistan to both India and the US ... What really concerns every citizen in Jammu and Kashmir --- and in the rest of the country ... - is that a basic modicum of security is not being provided to those living in J&K.

Yet the official machinery continues to pat itself on the back. The tone of its statements is self-delusory. It

does not care to. explain how the presence of foreign mercenaries has risen so menacingly ... since Kargil. Clearly, an integrated plan, combining political steps and hard measures to deal with the terrorist mercenary, simply does not exist, whatever the officials boast ...

Prosecute the Culprits Editorial, The Times of India, 7 April, 2000

... The first step that must be taken immediately is for the government to bring an end to the often insensitive and sometimes illegal behaviour of the security forces in the Kashmir valley. Although the Army tends to behave in an exemplary fashion - jawans who cross the line are invariably punished - the same cannot be said for the Border Security Force and the various state-level police and paramilitary outfits.

A case in point (is) the March 25 'encounter' killing of five persons the security forces claimed were terrorists responsible for the Chittisinghpura carnage. Prima facie, the security forces' case ... seems weak, especially given the 'coincidental' disappearance of five villagers in the vicinity of the 'encounter' a day earlier.

Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah has done well by ordering the bodies of the five to be exhumed for DNA testing. The government must now ensure that the testing is done promptly and accurately. In the event that foul play is established, adequate compensation must immediately be paid to the families of the murdered men and those guilty of the shooting should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law ...

Killing of Citizens by Security Forces Judicial Probe Demanded

Editorial, The Hindustan Times, 10 April, 2000

The army and police constitute vital arms of the state. They need to be deployed to protect the state and society against internal subversion or external aggression. But in a democracy, the fundamental rule is that the "law enforcement instruments" musi remain accountable to the people.

That is, the state must act according to the law laid down by the people themselves through their representative institutions. The latest news from Kashmir, therefore, is disconcerting. Though a judicial investigation is underway to unearth the facts regarding the five exhumed bodies at Anantnag, there are indications that the law could have been turned on its head by the law enforcement agencies themselves. Innocent villagers were killed and their bodies burned - so as to make post- mortem recognition difficult, if not impossible – before being buried. Such acts belong to lawless dictatorships, not to practising democracies ... The worst thing is that this crime was apparently enacted to boost the official claim that the foreign mercenaries who mowed down the Sikhs at Chhattisinghpora in cold blood were in turn killed in an open encounter by our alert security forces ...

... Hence, the judicial probe will have to bring out the truth: Was it only a case of trigger-happy men in uniform going berserk, or was a secret nod given to them by those high up in the ladder?.,. Elements wielding state power have indulged in gross violations of human rights all over India, and not just in Kashmir. And it is not only Naxalites. People in the Northeast as well as ordinary citizens caught in communal flare-ups have also borne the brunt of police violence. Those accused of petty crimes are also victims of police brutality. This trend can be reversed if the civil society remains vigilant against the aberrant behaviour of the state and its law enforcement agencies.

Manoj Joshi On Anantnag Tragedy

Events in Anantnag seem to be unfolding with the inevitability of a Greek tragedy. The horrific massacre of 35 Sikhs in Chittisinghpura village of the district on March 20 seems to have been forgotten. The killing of five apparently innocent civilians on March 25 by the police followed by seven more protesting this event has unleashed a cycle of violence that has negated the considerable gains Indian security forces had made in this region since 1994...

In an area where the security forces had been able effectively to curb militancy for the past five years, the recent incidents must be. seen as a serious setback ... Whether or not the Pakistani jehadis are able to capitalise on this will depend on the measures that the administration (Source: The Times of India)

President Clinton On Kashmir Problem Extracts from Address to People of Pakistan

I believe it is also in Pakistan's interest to reduce tensions with India. When I was in New Delhi, I urged India to seize the opportunity for dialogue. Pakistan also must help create conditions that will allow dialogue to succeed. For India and Pakistan this must be a time of restraint, for respect for the Line of Control, and renewed

lines of communication.

... I understand your concerns about Kashmir. I share your convictions that human rights of all its people must be respect. But a stark truth must also be faced. There is no military solution to Kashmir International sympathy, support and intervention cannot be won by provoking a bigger, bloodier conflict. On the contrary, sympathy and support will be lost. And no matter how great the grievance, it is wrong to support attacks against civilians across the Line of Control.

... We want to be a force for peace. But we cannot force peace. We can't impose it. We cannot and will not mediate or resolve the dispute in Kashmir. Only you and India can do that, through dialogue.

Last year, the world watched with hope as the leaders of India and Pakistan met in Lahore on the road to better relations. This is the right road to peace for Pakistan and India, and for the resolution of the problems in Kashmir. Therefore, I will do all can to help both sides restore the promise and the process of Lahore ...

Joint Guarantee for Autonomous Valley Khushwant Singh's Solution

... We regard the (people of Jammu and Kashmir) as one people because they were one under Dogra rule. They in fact have four distinct ethnic identities: the people and area in their occupation, people of Ladakh, Jammu and the Valley of the Jhelum. Without doubt, those living in Pak- held Kashmir would like to stay where they are; those of Ladakh and Jammu, save perhaps one district, would opt for India. Our only dispute is over the Valley. If given thechoice of opting for India or Pakistan, it would opt for Pakistan. If given a third choice of being masters of their own destiny, they would vote for a state of their own.

The Valley is too small to become a viable independent state. At the very best it can be fully autonomous with its autonomy guaranteed by both India and Pakistan. But this little autonomous state must on its turn guarantee lives and properties of its religious minorities take back and rehabilitate Kashmiri Pandits and Sikhs who were forced to fiee from their homes. This is not too much to ask from civilised states like Pakistan and India.

(Source: The Hindustan Times, 8 April, 2000)