2003 Nadimarg massacre

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Nadimarg Massacre
LocationNadimarg, Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir, India
Coordinates 33°44′41″N75°00′44″E / 33.7446°N 75.0121°E / 33.7446; 75.0121
Date23 March 2003
Target Kashmiri Pandits
Attack type
 Mass murder
Deaths24
Perpetrators Lashkar-e-Taiba
Motive Islamist Terrorism

2003 Nadimarg massacre was the killing of 24 Kashmiri Pandits in the village of Nadimarg in Pulwama District of Indian-administered Kashmir on 23 March 2003. The Government of India blamed militants from the Pakistan-based terrorist group, Lashkar-e-Taiba but failed to secure convictions. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Background

In early 1990, faced by the rising Kashmir insurgency and fearing persecution and physical harm, the majority of Kashmiri Hindus, who are called Kashmiri Pandits, fled the Kashmir Valley to makeshift camps across Jammu division. Small numbers remained within the Valley.

The attack

Armed Islamic militants came dressed in counterfeit military uniforms to Nadimarg, near Shopian in the Pulwama district. [4] [5] The attack took place between 11 pm and midnight. [6] Victims included 11 men, 11 women, and two small boys who were lined up and shot and killed by the gunmen. [7] The victims ranged from a 65-year-old man to a 2-year-old boy. [2]

Perpetrators

The perpetrators belonged to the internationally-designated terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Taiba and were led by their self-styled 'commander' Zia Mustafa. [8] He was arrested in 2003 and held in prison. In October 2021, Mustafa was taken out of jail by security forces to identify militant hideouts in a forest in Poonch. However, in the subsequent encounter with the militants, he was killed in cross-fire. [8]

The aftermath

Three other Lashkar-e-Taiba militants suspected to be responsible for this massacre were gunned down by Mumbai police on 29 March 2003. [9] Another Lashkar-e-Taiba Militant suspected of participating in the massacre was arrested in April 2003. [10] Christina Rocca, then the US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia, argued for the need for US to remain "actively and effectively engaged", pointing out to this massacre. [11] In an editorial in Pakistan's Dawn, Kunwar Idris criticised the massacre and said "Pundits are children of no lesser god that two hundred thousand of them should be driven out of their homes and the remaining few should be left to die a gruesome death." [12] Chris Patten European Commissioner for External Relations and United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan also condemned the massacre. [13] India accused Pakistan of being involved in this massacre and said that it would deal with Pakistan with strength and resolve. [14] The police issued an arrest warrant in the Nadimarg massacre case, naming Zai Mustafa, alias Abdullah of Rawalkote, Pakistan. [15] Intercepts by the intelligence agencies point out that there was a possible involvement of the Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammed groups which have been operating in the Shupian area.[ citation needed ]

The then chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed promised increased police protection - however, the few remaining terror stricken Kashmiri Pandits decided to leave the area.[ citation needed ]

The US Ambassador to India Robert D. Blackwill condemned the massacre of 24 Kashmiri Pandits in Jammu and Kashmir and said Washington "look forward to the terrorists being brought to justice swiftly".[ citation needed ]

The US Secretary of State Powell and British foreign minister Straw issued a joint statement of 27 March 2003 and condemned the Nadimarg massacre, urged respect for the Line of Control, called on Pakistan to end infiltration across it and urged Pakistan to do its utmost to discourage acts of violence by militants in J&K. [16]

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Lashkar-e-Taiba is a Pakistan-based militant Islamist Salafi jihadist organisation. Described as one of Pakistan's "most powerful jihadi groups", it is most infamous outside Pakistan. The organisation's primary stated objective is to merge the whole of Kashmir with Pakistan. It was founded in 1985-6 by Hafiz Saeed, Zafar Iqbal Shehbaz Abdullah Azzam and several other Islamist mujahideen with funding from Osama bin Laden during the Soviet–Afghan War. It has been designated a terrorist group by numerous countries.

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References

  1. ↑ Kashmir killing stokes tension, Dawn, 25 March 2003. Archived 25 October 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  2. 1 2 Kashmir Massacre Shakes Village’s Sense of Fraternity, Los Angeles Times, 30 March 2003. Archived 28 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ↑ 24 Hindus Are Shot Dead in Kashmiri Village, The New York Times, 24 March 2003. Archived 11 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ↑ Amy Waldman, Kashmir Massacre May Signal the Coming of Widespread Violence, The New York Times, 25 March 2003. ProQuest   92698458, ProQuest   2230066200
  5. ↑ Grief, Again, TIME, 31 March 2003. Archived 20 January 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ↑ "24 Hindus killed in Indian Kashmir", Agence France-Presse , 24 March 2003, archived from the original on 9 August 2007
  7. ↑ Appendix A – Chronology of Significant International Terrorist Incidents, 2003 (Revised 6/22/04), Patterns of Global Terrorism, 2003. United States Department of State. Archived 1 May 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  8. 1 2 Nirupama Subramanian (25 October 2021), "Zia Mustafa killing all but pulls curtain down on Nadimarg Pandit massacre", The Indian Express
  9. ↑ Suspected of Nadimarg killers gunned down in Mumbai, The Indian Express, 29 March 2003. Archived 20 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ↑ LeT militant involved in Nadimarg massacre held, The Times of India, 10 April 2003
  11. ↑ Atrocity heightens tensions in Kashmir, The Independent, 30 March 2003. Archived 25 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  12. ↑ The murder of Pundits, Dawn , 30 March 2003. Archived 25 October 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ↑ "Patten Offers Condolences After Kashmir Massacre". Europa World. 28 March 2003. Archived from the original on 18 April 2003.
  14. ↑ India: Cross-Border Terrorism Infrastructure Must Be Dismantled, Voice of America, 26 March 2003
  15. ↑ 209 Kashmiri Pandits killed since 1989, say J-K cops in first report, The Indian Express, 5 May 2008. Archived 8 March 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  16. ↑ G. Parthasarathy (8 May 2003). "Terrorism is the core issue". The Pioneer. Archived from the original on 13 January 2005 – via meaindia.nic.in.

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