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The Kashmir Tragedy
(WIKI)
The Kashmir conflict refers to the
territorial dispute
over
Kashmir,
the northwesternmost region of the
Indian subcontinent.
The parties to the dispute are
India,
Pakistan,
China
and the people of
Kashmir.
India claims the entire former
Dogra
princely state
of
Jammu and Kashmir
and presently administers approximately 43% of the region including most
of
Jammu,
Kashmir Valley,
Ladakh
and the
Siachen Glacier.
India's claim is contested by Pakistan which controls approximately 37% of
Kashmir, mainly
Azad Kashmir
and the northern areas of
Gilgit
and
Baltistan.
In addition, China controls 20% of Kashmir including
Aksai Chin
which it occupied following the brief
Sino-Indian War
of 1962 and the
Trans-Karakoram Tract,
also known as the Shaksam Valley, that was ceded to it by Pakistan in
1963.
India's official position is that Kashmir is an "integral part" of India.
Pakistan's official position is that Kashmir is a disputed territory whose
final status must be determined by the people of Kashmir. Certain Kashmiri
independence groups believe that Kashmir should be independent of both
India and Pakistan.
India and Pakistan have fought three wars over Kashmir: in
1947,
1965, and
1999. India and China have
clashed once,
in 1962 over
Aksai Chin
as well as the northeastern
Indian state
of
Arunachal Pradesh.
India and Pakistan have also been involved in several
skirmishes over Siachen Glacier.
Since the 1990s, the Indian administered
Jammu and Kashmir
has been hit by confrontation between Kashmiri separatists, including
militants who India alleges are supported by Pakistan and the
Pakistan Armed Forces,
and
Indian Armed Forces
which has resulted in thousands of deaths[1].
New dimension to
Kashmiri struggle
(CC 08 Nov 09)
TimeLine
(1947-2009)
Timeline on dispute
(1947-2010)
The following is a timeline of the
Kashmir conflict.
- Spring, 1947:
Protests against the Maharaja's taxation policies turn into a rebellion
against
Dogra rule in the district of
Poonch. The revolt spreads to
Mirpur and
Muzaffarabad districts.[2][3].
- July 19, 1947:
The
Muslim Conference, the majority party in the legislative assembly at
the time, unanimously passes a resolution in favor of the accession of
the state to
Pakistan. Shortly thereafter, the "War Council" of the
National Conference also meets; eight out of thirteen members vote
in favor of accession to
Pakistan.[4]
- August-October,
1947: Communal riots break out in the
Jammu region of the state; an estimated 200,000
Muslims are killed and much of the remaining population flees to
Pakistan to become part of the islamic state.[2]
- August 15, 1947:
Independence and partition of
British India into
India and
Pakistan. Jammu and Kashmir does not decide which dominion to join.[5]
- October 3, 1947:
Pro-Pakistan chieftains from the districts of
Poonch,
Mirpur, and
Muzaffarabad declare independence from
Dogra rule, and announce the formation of a provisional
"Azad" (free) Jammu and Kashmir government at
Rawalpindi,
Pakistan.[3]
- October 17, 1947:
Patiala state forces enter Jammu & Kashmir to aid the Maharaja in
his campaign against the separatists.[6]
- October 22, 1947:
Pashtuns from Pakistan's
North West Frontier Province, backed by Pakistani army, occupied
Kashmir in response to the Jammu massacres. Maharaja of Kashmir asks
India for help.[7]
- October 26, 1947:
Hari Singh signs an
Instrument of Accession whereby
Jammu and Kashmir accedes to
India
- 1947/1948:
Indo-Pakistani War of 1947 commences. Indian troops enter Srinagar.
- August 1951:
Elections for
Constituent assembly held in Indian administered Kashmir. 75
representatives are elected.[8]
- February 15, 1954:
Democratically elected
Constituent assembly ratifies accession of Kashmir to India.[9]
- 1965: Pakistan
launches
Operation Gibralter which leads to
Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.
- December 6, 1971:
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971; Secession of
East Bangla
- 1972:
Republic of India and
Islamic Republic of Pakistan agree to respect the
cease-fire as Line of Control.
- April 13, 1984:
In
Operation Meghdoot, the Indian Army captures the
Siachen Glacier region of
Kashmir, starting the
Siachen conflict.
- May, 1987: As a
result of an agreement between
Rajiv Gandhi and
Farooq Abdullah, elections for the
Jammu and Kashmir State Assembly are blatantly fixed in favor of the
National Conference, resulting in widespread unrest in the state.[10][11][12]
- 1989:
Armed militancy begins in Kashmir.
- December 8, 1989:
1989 kidnapping of Rubaiya Sayeed daughter of Indian Home minister
kidnapped by Kashmir separatists.
- January 20, 1990:
Gawakadal massacre, At least 50 Kashmiri protesters are shot to
death by Indian paramilitary forces on the Gawakadal bridge in
Srinagar in an incident that later becomes known as the
Gawakadal massacre.
- 28 February, 1990
Zakoora And Tengpora Massacre, 1990 In order to halt massive
demonstrations by the people, who were to submit a memorandum to United
Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), Indian
army opened fire at Tengpora bypass and Zakoora crossing in Srinagar,
killing 26 and 21 demonstrators, respectively.
- Feberuary 23, 1991:
The
Kunan Poshpora incidentIndian army gang raped 23 and perhaps as amny
as 100 women during a search and interrogation operation in the village
of Kunan Poshpora during night, located in Kashmir's remote Kupwara
District, and allegedly carried out one of the largest-scale, and most
publicized acts of mass rape in the history of the Kashmir conflict.
- July 30, 1992
Balawaristan National Front founded with the aim of seeking
independence of
Balawaristan in
Pakistan-administered Kashmir from Pakistan.
- January 3, 1993:
Sopore massacre Indian paramilitary forces burn down the main market
in the town of
Sopore and open fire on bystanders, killing at least 55 in what
becomes known as the
Sopore massacre.[13]
- October 22, 1993:Bijbehara
Massacre51 unarmed civilians were killed in an arbitrarily firing on
a crowd, by the 74 Battalion of Indian paramilitary
Border Security Force (BSF) in Bijbehara, district
Anantnag of Indian administrated
Jammu and Kashmir, during a peaceful protest against the siege of
the Hazratbal Mosque.
- October 20, 1994:
1994 Kidnappings of Western tourists in India 3 Britons and 1
American kidnapped from New Delhi by Kashmir separatists. All 4 rescued
successfully 2 weeks later.
- July 4, 1995:
1995 Kidnapping of western tourists in Kashmir - six western
tourists abducted from
Pahalgam by militants demanding release of
Pakistani cleric
Maulana Masood Azhar. One later escapes, another is beheaded and
four are still missing and presumed dead.
- March 8, 1996:Jalil
Andrabi murder case Jalil Andrabi, a prominent Kashmiri human rights
lawyer and pro-independence political activist associated with the JKLF,
subjected to extra-judicial execution by Indian paramilitary troopers
and renegades in March 1996.
- March 21, 1997:
1997 Sangrampora massacre Militants massacre 7
Kashmiri Pandit
Hindus
- January 25, 1998:
1998 Wandhama massacre - murder of 23 Hindu
Kashmiri Pandits allegedly by
Lashkar-e-Taiba
- April 17, 1998:
1998 Prankote massacre - Islamic militants kill 26
Hindu villagers in Kashmir.
- June 19, 1998:
1998 Chapnari massacre - massacre of 25 Hindu participants of
marriage party in
Doda district of
Jammu & Kashmir by alleged
Islamic militants.
- August 3, 1998:
1998 Chamba massacre - murder of 35 Hindus in
Chamba by alleged Kashmir militants.
- May - July 1999:
Kargil War fought between India and Pakistan.
- December 24, 1999:
Militants demanding release of imprisoned Kashmir separatists Hijack
Indian Airlines Flight 814.
- March 20, 2000:
Chittisinghpura massacre – murder of 35 Sikhs, perpetrated by
Lashkar-e-Taiba according to the Indian government.
- August 1, 2000:
2000 Amarnath pilgrimage massacre - killing of 30 Hindu pilgrims in
Pahalgam.
- February, 2001:
An Indian army convoy kills 4 protesters, including two women, as well
as critically wounding 18 others - the protesters were protesting
against the killing of Jaleel Ahmed Shah.[14]
- February 10, 2001:
2001 Chalwalkote massacre 15 muslims murderd by Kashmiri
separatists.
- July 14-16, 2001:
General
Pervez Musharraf and
Atal Behari Vajpayee
meet for peace talks.
- August 3, 2001:
2001 Kishtwar massacre 17
Hindu villagers murdered by Islamic militants.
- October 1, 2001:
Jammu and Kashmir state assembly in
Srinagar attacked by militants allegedly belonging to
Jaish-e-Mohammed- 29 killed 40 hurt.
- February, 2002:
Indian-administered Kashmir was disrupted by a general strike in protest
against reports of the killings of innocent civilians by the Indian
security forces. The CM of Indian Kashmir, Farooq Abdullah, supported
those protesting.[15]
- July 13, 2002:
2002 Qasim Nagar massacre 29
Hindu labourers shot dead near
Jammu
- March 25, 2003:
2003 Nadimarg Massacre - 24
Hindu villagers killed by Islamic militants in village of Nadimarg
in Kashmir
- May 2, 2003:
India and Pakistan restore diplomatic ties.
- July 11, 2003:
Delhi-Lahore
bus service resumes
- November 2003:
Indo-Pakistan cease-fire is declared.[16]
- June 26, 2004:
2004 Teli Katha massacre - 12 muslims massacred by Kashmir
separatists in Poonch district.
- September 24, 2004:
Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh and President
Musharraf meet in New York during UN General Assembly.
- February 15, 2006:
United States Congress passes a resolution condemning
ethnic cleansing of
Kashmiri Pandits by Islamic militants in Kashmir.[17]
- February 22, 2006:
Doodhipora killing, 2006 Four teenagers killed by Indian troops of
33 Rashtriya Rifles.
- April 30, 2006:
2006 Doda massacre terrorists murder 34
Hindus in Indian administered Kashmir.
- June 12, 2006:
2006 Kulgam massacre 10 killed by Kashmir militants.
- July, 2006 :
Second round of Indo-Pakistani peace talks.
- July 11, 2006:
11 July 2006 Srinagar bombings - 8 tourists dead and 37 injured by
militants in 5 grenade attacks.
- February 2007:
Protests erupt in the Kashmir Valley as police exhumed the bodies who
were alleged to have been killed in "fake encounters".[18]
- September 2007:
Police use tear gas crowds of students protesting at the killing of
Mohammad Ramzan who they was killed in a staged gun battle.[18]
- June-August, 2008:
Widespread protests in Kashmir due to
Amarnath land transfer controversy. 40 unarmed civilians were killed
by Indian soldiers.
- November 17, 2008:
State elections held peacefully in Kashmir with unusually high turnout
inspite of boycott call by mujahideen.
- December, 2008:
Violence in Kashmir falls to an all time low.[19]
- January 5, 2009:
Omar Abdullah of
Jammu & Kashmir National Conference sworn in as the eleventh and the
youngest chief minister of
Jammu and Kashmir.
- February 21, 2009:
Bomai Killing: Army kills two devotees in an indiscriminate firing
incident by 22nd Battalion of Rashtriya Rilfes in Bomai, Sopore. Which
results in a massive valley wide protests.[20]
- February 25, 2009:
Oregon Legislative Assembly passes a resolution to recognize
September 14, 2007, as Martyrs Day to acknowledge
ethnic cleansing and campaigns of terror inflicted on non-Muslim
minorities of
Jammu and Kashmir by militants seeking to establish an
Islamic state.[21]
- March 19, 2009:Khaigam
killing, 2009: Protesters angry about the killing of a carpenter,
allegedly by Indian paramilitary forces. In response, villagers on
Thursday staged massive protests, shouting anti-India and
pro-independence slogans.[22]
- March 20, 2009:
Indian army admits that three of its soldiers killed two civilians in a
incident which took place in the North of
Indian-administered Kashmir.[23]
- March 24, 2009:
Thousands of Kashmiri mourners attend the funeral of
Indian Army soldier Shabir Ahmed Malik who died fighting militants
at
Kupwara.[24]
- June 04, 2009:
Thousands of people demonstrated in India-administrated Kashmir,
accusing Indian soldiers of the rape and murder of two women, one aged
17 and the other aged 22. The second woman was pregnant.[25][26][27][28]
- 29 June 2009:Baramulla
killing, June 2009 Four people were killed in an indiscriminate
firing incident by Indian Armed Forces over the unarmed protesters
protesting against the overnight alleged indecent behaviour of a
policemen in police station with a woman.
- July 5, 2009:
Hundreds of protesters pelted police with stones and set police vehicles
on fire over a Kashmir man's death. The protests are the latest incident
in which crowds have demonstrated against Indian rule in recent weeks[29]
- July 9, 2009:
Thousands of protesters have marched towards an army base in
Indian-administered Kashmir following the death of a young woman after
allegedly being assaulted by members of India's Territorial Army. The
death is the tenth in recent weeks to be blamed on the Indian security
forces
[30][31]
-
- August 18 2009 : Indian Government stated there had been
3429 youth missing since 1990 - till date. However local and
international rights groups have suggested over 8,000 people have
disappeared in the region.[50][51][52][53]
- August 20 2009: Human Rights workers discovered several
unmarked graves containing about 1,500 unidentified bodies in Indian
Administered Kashmir. Last year in a report titled, "Facts Under
Ground" APDP had reported finding the unmarked graves of about 1,000
people near Uri, an area near the de facto frontier that divides
Indian- and Pakistani-controlled Kashmir and referred to as Line of
Control. Human rights workers have complained for years that innocent
people have disappeared, been killed by government forces in staged
gunbattles, and suspected rebels have been arrested and never heard
from again in Indian administered Kashmir.[54]
- October 14 2009: Indian home minister P Chidambaram states
he is willing to talk to every section in J&K. The stage seems set to
restart the stalled talks with separatists. Union home minister P
Chidambaram has said, "We will have a dialogue with every section of
the people of Jammu & Kashmir. We mean dialogue process will start and
it will be carried to its logical conclusion."
[55]
- October 3 2009: The meeting of the 56-nation grouping of
Islamic countries in New York earlier this week issued a statement,
saying it supported people of Jammu and Kashmir in "realisation of
their legitimate right of self determination in accordance with
relevant UN resolutions and aspirations of Kashmiri people."[56]
- October 14 2009: India objects to Chinese activities in
Pakistani Kashmir.[57]
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