Kashmir -
Valley Of Despair
43 Mins - April 1998
A film by Marion Mayer-Hohdahl
00:00
00:07
COMMENTARY STARTS
Sunrise over Lake Dal in Kashmir, nestled in the lap of the majestic Himalayas. The lake lies next to the city of Srinigar, summer capital of the Indian occupied states of Jammu and Kashmir.
00:24
TITLE: KASHMIR - VALLEY OF DESPAIR
00.32
Lake Dal is a labyrinth of waterways where crops are cultivated on floating pieces of land. Entire families live on boats, clinging stubbornly to their ancient culture. But the harmony of this scene belies the fact that Kashmir at smouldering war, two thirds occupied by India, a third by Pakistan. Both sides commit atrocities, both create refugees. Both have nuclear weapons.
01:02 COMMENTARY
The city of Srinigar has become a military camp. Half a million Indian soldiers have been stationed here since the Kashmiris reached for their guns nearly 10 years ago. The predominantly Muslim population want independence. And they want the Indian troops out.
01.25
The British colonial rulers used to call this the happy valley. Now, it’s become a valley of fear. Fear of the Indian soldiers, fear of the rebels. The military are at every street corner. The Kashmiris are no longer masters in their own home.
01.52
In earlier days these streets were swarming with tourists. Today, it’s hard to get here and the army is in control. The Indian government wants to keep this part of the country hidden away from the glare of the international media and human rights organisations.
Kashmiris themselves are divided: some want to belong to Pakistan, the rest to have total independence. But India is seen as the major aggressor in the region.
02:26
Those who go out onto the streets to demonstrate have courage. Marching to protest for a referendum often ends in violent incidents. The Kashmiris were promised a referendum in 1947 but it has never taken place. The state of emergency in Kashmir allows the Indians to arrest any Kashmiri. The Indian army, their special troops and the police aren’t timid. Victims say they are tortured during interrogations. Many don’t survive. Amnesty International has been trying to get into Kashmir for years - but the Indian government won’t let them.
03:20
Even the disabled, like Abdul Raheem Ganie, are tortured by the Indians. For days he was held in detention before being released.
03:36
Original sound
Abdul Raheem Ganie, torture victim
They came at midnight and searched the house. They took all the money I had, 20’000 rupees. I was shoved into a car. Four days long I was interrogated. I got electric shocks in the ears. They didn’t let me go to the toilet and they kept asking me about an engineer called Jaman. I don’t know any engineer called Jaman.
03:57 COMMENTARY
Then, the Indians threatened to hack off his remaining leg.
04:02
The women tell us what happened that night. We don’t want any tyrants that kill our sons and torture our husbands, they say. When they come, the whole area is cordoned off. We don’t want the Indians here. We want our independence.
04:17
The 65 year-old Abdul has lived through a lot. His son belongs to a rebel group. Because of this he’s often interrogated and tortured. His nephew was tortured while he was in detention and died as a result. He was just 20 years old. Almost every family has a story of atrocities committed by the Indians.
04:43 archive footage
The climax of the conflict came three years ago. A 15th century mosque in the village of Char-e-Sharif was occupied by troops from the Pakistani part of Kashmir along with Afghanis. Indian troops stormed the mosque. Fires were lit. The rebels were killed. The Indians say the rebels were to blame. But Kashmiris say the Indian soldiers provoked them.
05:17
For many, the mosque today has become a symbol of resistance.
Sheikh Nuruddin founded the strain of Islam practised here called Kashmiryat. Nuruddin is part of the people’s cultural identity, their demand for self-determination.
05:34
Yasin Malik, in white, is leader of the JKLF - the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front. In the spirit of Sheikh Nuruddin, they’re fighting for total independence from both India and Pakistan.
05:49
free: We want freedom...
05:50
Yasin Malik was Kashmir’s first guerrilla leader. His JKLF is the most prominent liberation movement. He’s spent five and half years in prison. Torture, hunger strikes and a heart operation have weakened him. In 1994, he laid down his gun in an attempt to find a political solution.
06:12
Original sound
Yasin Malik (in English)
Jammu and Kashmir Liberation organisation
Over the last two and a half years the government of India has started their brutal operations. Namely to kill them, crush them until they die. Whosoever they find is a sympathiser with this movement, they kill them in a ruthless manner. They blast their houses. They gang rape their sisters and mothers. This is the situation here. It is the will of the people that they are alive.
06:55
Original sound
Major Pranod Purushottam (in English)
Army spokesperson
The army does have to use force. In counter-insurgency force has to be used. Once we get information that this particular person has got links to the militants, or the person is a militant with certain weapons, the army per force, has to use force. Unfortunately, what happens is the local agents of the people who are controlling these militants, they use these grounds to raise the bogey of human rights. The moment we go after a person they say ‘Oh, he was an innocent person’. We work only on hard intelligence. We do not go around torturing any old person.
07:32
The harder the army clamps down - the greater the resistance of the people.
07:42
In the local newspapers are photographs of Ghulam Mohi-ud-din Regoo. He was tortured. Three days later, Indians threw him on his own doorstep. His arms and feet were hacked off.
08:00
We were all here together, says his widow. They came late in the evening and were disguised.
08:10
He was a judge and not a militant. He cried out three times ‘God help me’.
08:16
original sound
Masooda Parveen, widow
We have nothing.. nothing. No way back. ….. I am a mother. What can I do? I always pray to God. Please…help me and my children… How can I look after my children?
08:53
original sound
Farkhand Mohi-ud-din, 13 years old. (in English)
We don’t have anything anymore. No income. The Indians don’t treat us like equals. My father was innocent.
09:07
original sound
Manzoor Hassan Reshi, (in English)
neighbour
People only want freedom. That is their birthright. Kashmir has been annexed to India unnecessarily. People are coming peacefully. They are demonstrating peacefully. Come on! Give us our freedom, it is our birthright! But it’s a bloodbath. Their houses were burnt, their women were raped, and everywhere they are pressing this horrible situation. This has been a problem for the last 50 years. But there are very weak politicians in Delhi and Pakistan who are just taking them for a ride. Kashmiris want peace. They want to decide for themselves and they will live peacefully.
09:38
In 1995, six tourists were kidnapped by the Muslim group Harkat ul-Ansar. The rebels were supplied with money and weapons by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Afterwards, sympathy for the rebels shrank.
09:52
Briton Keith Mangan
09:56
German Dirk Hasert
09:58
Briton Paul Wells, and
10:01
the American Donald Hutching of whom there is no trace.
10:04
Norwegian Hans Christian Otto was murdered.
10:07
Original sound
Ali Mohamed Saga (in English)
Home Minister Jammu and Kashmir
They are fighting because the gunmen are simply there. Infiltration is simply there. Last year 1’200 militants infiltrated from the Pakistani border here. So their presence is there in the upper areas. So, guns are there. But politically what we’ve done is that we’ve isolated them. Now, the people are treating them as terrorists. In 1990/91 they were being treated as muhajadeens. So, this is the big difference, we’ve isolated the guns.
10:42
Or at least that’s the Indian line. These are some of the weapons the police have confiscated from the rebels. It’s easy to get weapons in this region. Kalaschnikovs, air defense rockets, timer fuses - the most modern equipment is available. Over 50 per cent of the arms come from China and the former Soviet Union. American and European weapons can also be found. Many ask, who’s funding all this? The Indians say the Pakistanis are. Other Islamic countries may also be involved.
11:23
original sound
Manohar Singh (in English)
police - special forces
They are in areas where the terrain is very difficult. Most of them are in the high hills. They are not facing us, face to face, and we take full care of human rights. This is guerrilla warfare. Whenever they find an easy target they hit it - and we go after them.
11:43
The man feared most by the Indians is Syed Salauddin.
11:46
He’s the leader of the pro-Pakistani group Hisbollah Mujahdeen. They want to conquer the Indian part of Kashmir for Pakistan. This is why Islamabad is so generous with money, weapons and shelter.
12:00
original sound
Syed Salauddin (in English)
pro-Pakistan rebel
Our strategy is to destroy the Indian economy. We don’t want to confine our struggle to the four walls of Kashmir. This is a centrally important issue of strategy - we want to expand our war to other parts of India to completely destroy economically important centres in India. Just as the Indian forces are destroying the economic situation of our Kashmiri people. We want to retaliate in the same way. As Indian forces have subjugated the innocent Kashmiris to tremendous physical torture we want to retaliate in he same way. We want to hit India wherever possible.
12:59
Responsibility for explosions in Srinigar have been claimed by different Islamic groups at the same time. There are quarrels between them. There have been over 100 liberation movements throughout the 1990’s, only a handful remain. Their violent acts are as gruesome as those of the Indians. And it’s Kashmiri civilians who are the victims.
13:21
original sound
Major Pranod Purushottam (in English)
Army spokesperson
Previously the militants used to move around with impunity. They used to cause damage, and they used to go and extort money, and they used to carry out rapes and other things. But now, they cannot. They cannot move around freely. That type of restriction we have imposed on the militants. The militants have lost them the support of the local population. Because the local population has realised that it’s the local population, the common man, who is not involved in all this who has suffered.
13:49
These people have certainly suffered. In early 1998, 23 Pandits - Hindu Kashmiris - were killed by the Muslim rebels. Since 1989, they’ve become the target of what India calls Islamic terrorism. Thousands have fled. Pandits could no longer trust their Muslim neighbours, with whom they’d lived side by side for centuries.
14:14
They fled from Srinigar to Jammu - the winter capital of the region. The journey takes 14 hours, through winding mountain passes.
14:24
The population here in Jammu is mainly Hindu. Throughout the 1990’s more than a quarter of a million Pandits have taken refuge here. The city is crammed with Hindu Kashmiris who have set up home in empty or half-built houses.
14:39
This cellar is shared by three families. Many of them thought they’d only have to stay here short term .
14:49
original sound
Naranjan nath Pandita (in English)
Hindu Kashmiri
We were threatened with being killed and frightened because some of our relatives were killed two or three days earlier. Then they threatened us and so we left Kashmir. We left everything there. We wanted to preserve our dignity.
15:08
original sound
Nancy Pandita
wife
We wanted to make sure our daughter wasn’t raped. We thought we would be here two or three months, then we’d be able to go back home. In eight years, no one has helped us. There’s just talk - nothing more.
15:23
The parents and their four children aged from 13 to 23 share two beds, which doubles up as a sofa during the day.
15:33
Naranjan nath Pandita was a civil servant in Kashmir. He hasn’t been able to find work here. Every family gets a 1500 rupee grant from the government - about 40 US dollars. Enough to live on but not enough to rent accommodation.
15:50
Everyone dreams of going back home to the valley. But since the most recent massacre of Pandits in January many have given up hope.
16:08
And anyway, their homes have often been looted, destroyed or burnt. Those still standing are now occupied by Muslim Kashmiris.
16:20
In Jammu there are 16 grim refugee camps like this one. About 20’000 people live in the camps. Nobody helps them. They are treated as foreigners. Over 90 per cent are educated, but most can’t find work. There is no health care.
16:38
original sound
Kuldeep Raina (in English)
Panun Kashmir party
We started in September 1989 when they killed our leader Pandit Taqloo. That was the first signal. The bastards don’t want you. And then, almost every day there were two or three killings. It culminated on 19th January 1990 when I must tell you, simultaneously, from around 10’000 mosques in the valley, there was almost an order from the mullahs in these mosques, telling us to vacate the valley within 24 hours.
17:15
Pyaray Lal Dhar has been voted the refugees’ spokesman and represents their interests. When the Pandits were forced out of Happy Valley they founded their own party: Panun Kashmir - Our Kashmir. They are demanding a homeland - a part of the valley. Hindu Kashmiris make up three per cent of the population. Everyone in Kashmir is fighting for their own cause.
17:45
Pyaray Lal Dhar doesn’t want his three children to grow up like this. In Jammu they have no rights. In Kashmir, they’re not tolerated.
18:04
Together with 30 others this family fled from Kashmir in 1990. Pyarays’ brother is in the student movement. The Pandits are discriminated against in the Jammu education system. Their diplomas are only partially recognised, and yet they have to study longer than the local Hindus.
18:26
original sound
Pyaray Lal Dhar (in English)
Pandit refugee
We are fighting for our homeland. We’re fighting for our survival because we don’t have one. Our future in the valley is very bleak. It’s gone to the winds. They are not ready to welcome us. They are not ready to compromise.
18:51
The homeland, Srinigar, was once at peace. Lake Dal earnt it the title of Venice of the Himalayas. Today, it’s a crippled city. The sign at the city’s entrance has become a joke. ‘Here begins the happy valley where the world stops and paradise begins,’ it says.
19:08
The valley has become a valley of fear. There are soldiers everywhere. For 50 years Kashmir has been a bone of contention between India and Pakistan. Three wars have been fought over it. The war over Kashmir is dirty with many casualties. For 50 years neither side has been able to win freedom or ensure peace.
19:24
Mamdin Khan lal Jan is a refugee. He fled with his family from a remote village in the mountains surrounding the valley. Kashmiris feel betrayed. They’ve always been under foreign rule. First by a Hindu maharajah, then by the Indians. Now, they have to struggle with the rebels. Mamdin has found work here. He looks after the animals of a rich Kashmiri. He earns 500 rupees a month - barely enough to keep his six children alive. The youngest is nine months old.
20:07
original sound
Mamdin Khan lal Jan
farmer
Both the rebels and the army torment innocent families. Both come to our houses and take what they want. They take the women and children. They rape them. India or Pakistan haven’t helped the poor. I want to work in peace. We want peace.
20:27
It’s a plea heard over and over again.
20:31
The civil war has inflicted other wounds . Kashmir’s economy lies in tatters. The valley was once a popular high altitude tourist resort. Now, only the occasional wary visitor comes here.
20:47
Carpet weaving used to be a thriving industry in the region, with large factories in Srinigar. Now, they’re woven at home.
21:02
The famous houseboats on the Dal lake are empty. They were once Srinigar’s proud flagships. One of the maharaja’s edicts gave the English the idea to build the boats. As foreigners they weren’t allowed to buy land. The English got around the ban buy building luxurious houseboats which were anchored to the shores of the lake. Many were used as accommodation by tourists.
21:27
Fayaz Khuroo owns a hotel and two houseboats. His grandfather started the business. A fully fitted houseboat costs 5 million rupees - about 12,000 US dollars. Today the boats stand as still and lifeless as the Marie Celeste. Before the trouble, the boat was booked out for most of the year.
21:53
original sound
Fayaz Khuroo (in English)
houseboat owner
We definitely have the feeling we want to have a peaceful life. But there are so many things we have to think of. We are in our own country but we still don’t feel like we are free or anything else. We want to have a peaceful life.
22:13
Women demonstrate against a vote which has been imposed by the Indians. The people want a boycott. For Kashmir’s 80% Muslim population, hatred for the Hindu government in Delhi runs deep.
22:26
The army deals with demonstrations under the so-called Tada law - a law which prevents terrorist acts. Even women are seen as a threat.
22:44
When politicians visit the valley, whole streets are blocked off, everybody is searched In the first vote since the partition of Indian and Pakistan in 1947, those who supported total independence for Kashmir won. Those who wanted Kashmir to belong to Pakistan said Delhi rigged the result, and the regime was just a puppet Indian government. There were more votes in 1996 and 1997. Both were largely boycotted.
23.15
Kashmir is gripped by the Indian constitution, which doesn’t allow for joining Pakistan or for independence. It is also the only one of the 25 union states in India with a degree of autonomy. If Delhi were to give up Kashmir completely, it could start a rollercoaster for India’s other regions demanding self-determination. If Kashmir split, India’s 700 million Hindus would turn on the Muslims. For India’s politicians, Kashmir’s best chance of peace is if it remains a part of India.
23.50
original sound
Ali Mohamed Saga (in English)
Home Minister Jammu and Kashmir
There are people who are saying independence, there are people who are saying Pakistan but the majority, I think, most of the people want to remain in India with honour and dignity.
24:03
original sound
Mir Mohamed Omar Farooq (in English)
Imam
What is really the policy of New Delhi is that they’ve literally give the whole issue of Kashmir into the hands of the army and the troop - let them decide what is best for the Kashmiris. Otherwise there is no political agenda for the people. There is no political will in New Delhi to resolve the conflict politically or amicably. They feel they have the force, the might - they can carry on the situation. It’s true they have the resources, we don’t have resources and I don’t know how long we can fight. But one thing is certain - it’s not going to be a piece of cake for the Indians. People in Kashmir are ready to fight to get their rights.
24:50
Perspectives differ. Mir Mohamed Omar Farooq is the highest ranking imam at Srinigar’s oldest mosque.
NATSOT
25:12
India reproaches him and other imams for using their religious status to make political speeches. Omar Farooq and his movement are one of 28 secessionist groups in the Huriyet Conference. This alliance doesn’t want to join Pakistan, but wants a referendum which could lead to independence.
NATSOT
25:43
Omar Farooq and other party members have put themselves forward to New Delhi as people to negotiate with, but until now India has refused all contact. Despite in-fighting over whether to join Pakistan or go for total independence - all groups are united over one issue: India must remove its troops from Kashmir. The young imam is revered, and when he called for a general strike in the name of the political alliance, the people were right behind him.
26:16
Srinigar today is at a standstill. Only the Indian soldiers are going about their business. Every year, out of respect for a rebel leader of the Jammu and Kashmir liberation movement murdered in New Delhi, shops close for a day of remembrance. Even if shop owners are not directly related to the struggle, they support the call of the militant groups - to show their aversion to the occupying Indian forces.
26:50
Khazir Mohamed Wani has hated the Indians ever since the army’s special forces murdered his son.
26:58
original sound
Khazir Mohamed Wani
We can’t say anything. The army would fetch us, torture us and kill us - just like they killed my son and tortured my son-in-law. We’re worried. The Indians are brutal people.
27:12
Mohamed Shafi-Wani’s son was a member of the Hisbollah Mujahdeen. He fought in the jihad - the holy war against India.
27:27
original sound
Hajira, 13 years old
The Indian tyrants killed my father. He was fighting for us, for our freedom.
27:36
The family home has been destroyed twice. The army came at night. The soldiers threw a mine with a time fuse into the house. The family had half an hour to get out of the building before the mine exploded.
27:54
No one in this village is safe - either from the attacks by the army or the rebels. Here the police are patrolling the village of Soura. Soura has been a rebel stronghold for years. Even today the area is not secure. During the day it belongs to the police - at night to the rebels.
28:16
This area was destroyed in one skirmish. The army set fire to a building with 5 rebels inside, when they came out they were shot.
28:26
original sound
resident
I lost everything. Twenty five houses were burnt to the ground. I only had the clothes I was wearing - nothing else. 28:37 I’m scared of the rebels and I’m scared of the army.
28:40
The police admit the fires and the reprisals happened. The army denies it.
28:47
In front of nearly every police station mothers and wives wait for news of their detained sons and husbands. The Indians need to extract information from them on the Islamic fundamentalists from Pakistan.
29:00
original sound
denouncer
I was with the Hisbollah Mujahdeen. and was trained in Pakistan. The leaders are based there and we have to fight for them. Pakistan finances the rebels - as well as the Huriyet Alliance. That’s not good for the Kashmiris.
29:45
This stunning scenery is the setting for the border between Indian Kashmir and Pakistani Kashmir. In 1947, feudal lords in the principality were forced to choose whether to belong to India or Pakistan. For months the Hindu Maharaja couldn’t decide. Pakistan invaded the valley to try and annex it by force. The Maharaja called on Indian troops to help and lodged a complaint with the United Nations. The UN proposed a cease-fire and a referendum. Neither have since happened.
30:20
On patrol in Chakothi - the last village before the Pakistan-India border. There used to be a road here direct to Srinigar. Today, there’s no shooting. But it’s not always as quiet as this. (PAUSE) Behind this hill lies Indian Kashmir with a population of 7 million. The border snakes along the river - both sides watch each other’s every move.
30.53
The Kashmiris - whether they support union with Pakistan or independence - still move across the border. They don’t allow themselves to be separated. They see themselves as belonging together and having one common enemy - India. A state of tension rules over the beautiful landscape.
31:17
Those who have the misfortune to live along the border between Indian and Pakistani Kashmir are always a target. India has increased the mortar attacks to intimidate the rebels.
31:30
We are always being shot at - even the cows.
31:36 Over there is also Kashmir but the Indians don’t want to give it up.
31:44
Officially Pakistan keeps its army out of the guerrilla war. Officially, Azad Kashmir - free Kashmir as its called in Pakistan, with its 3 million inhabitants, is independent. But the political strings are pulled by Islamabad.
32:05
Villager
We want to be free from India. We want a free Kashmir. The only thing that counts for anyone is freedom. But many there are many quarrels. Some don’t want to belong to Pakistan.
32:19
The India-Pakistan rift is intensifying, and the worry is that the next armed conflict between India and Pakistan will be an atomic one.
32:30
original sound
Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan (in English)
Prime Minister Free Kashmir-Pakistan
You see, the situation has to be resolved otherwise the two countries will continue to deploy their resources against each other. Particularly building up their defenses and the defense expenditure is almost beyond the capacity of the countries - it’s got to that extent. Then, at the same time, besides the conventional power they accumulated, there is the nuclear capability on both sides. And, with the tempo of hatred and animosity and continuing to lean against each other, it can bring about a nuclear disaster in this part of the world.
33:16
There are also refugee camps in the Pakistani part of Kashmir, for those who have fled the Indian regime. In 1997, the prime ministers of India and Pakistan held talks over Kashmir. But since the Indian nationalistic Hindu party the BJP has come to power, the chances of a dialogue are slim. The party wants nuclear weapons. For these refugees the status quo remains: they’ve got nowhere they can call home.
33:45
original sound
Raja Ishar Khan
village committee
Kashmir is burning. And, when we were living in our own village they burnt it. The market, 400 shops and 200 houses and one village school - went up in flames. They burnt 150 students in the middle classes. They killed a member of the upper house assembly and the same day, after they burnt the village of Sopore they burnt Baramula town.
34:32
Raja Khan left his village and fled 100 kilometres . The Border Security Forces razed the entire village of Sopore in 1993. Fifty-five men, women and children burned to death in their homes. Young men were beaten up and taken away. Some have never been seen again. Since then Raja Khan and his family have been eking out an existence in the Pakistani part of Kashmir, without any hope of a better future.
35:20
Sohrab Khan wore this uniform of the Indian police for 33 years. But two years before getting his pension, he had to give everything up.
35:31
Sohrab Khan
former policeman
I left the village because Indian soldiers had raped a girl - one after the other. She took refuge in a police station. So then we all had to flee to Pakistan.
35.46
Pakistan always has money to spare for the rebels - but for the refugees the government does very little. The women embroider the famous Kashmir shawls. But what happens when they want to sell them? Muzaffarabad is 30 kms away from the border. Nobody comes here. Pakistani Kashmir is mountainous and poor. The wealthy part of Kashmir lies in India.
36:14
Children here are taught under the open skies - weather permitting. Education is the only thing that will give them a chance in life. 36:30 Even the smallest refugees want only one thing: Freedom for Kashmir.
Children chanting freedom, freedom then music up
36:55
Pakistan supports guerrilla groups because it sees them as fighting a Jihad to preserve Islamic beliefs. The Jihad is ranked above the interests of the Kashmiris.
37:06
In the valley, the Indians troops focus on keeping order. They consider Kashmir an internal matter. The problem for them would be solved if Pakistan stopped sending weapons and soldiers into the valley. But the solution is not as simple as that.
37:21
Jammu and Kashmir border China, and are strategically important for India. India has been to war with Pakistan and China. Kashmir is a buffer zone. The valley is 130 km long and 40 km wide. Most of the people are involved in agriculture.
37:47
In comparison to the rest of India, the population here isn’t poor. The land belongs to the farmers. In 1951, all landowners with more than nine hectares had their land expropriated and divided. Most of the women and half of the men in the rural areas are illiterate. The biggest problem for the rural population is the collapse of all public services since the civil war. There’s no medical care in the villages.
38:19
The Lalla Ded Maternity hospital in Srinigar has only 500 beds for the 4 million people in the valley. The few doctors that work in Kashmir are totally overstretched.
38:40
Dr Tehmeena Hafij treats 100-150 patients every day. She’s been working here for a year. Every fifth weekend she has a day free - Sunday. There are too many patients. Two to three women have to share each bed.
39:06
original sound
Tehmeena Hafij (in English)
Doctor
We have too much workload - the surrounding centres send their patients here because they don’t have equipment or doctors. We don’t have many doctors here. We’re working in very bad conditions but we’re trying to do our best.
39:24
The best often isn’t enough - particularly in case of an emergency. The hospital can’t do much for the large numbers of patients with gunshot wounds. The victims of explosions and massacres often die. Vital medical equipment is lacking - and frequently drugs are too.
39:44
The death toll in Kashmir is increasing. Over 10’000 civilians have died since the rebellion in 1990, according to the Indians. Add to that 5’000 to 10’000 guerrillas. The rebel groups claim the figures are far higher. There’s no end to the conflict in sight.
40:07
original sound
Ali Mohamed Saga (in English)
Home Minister Jammu and Kashmir
A solution? That is the job of Pakistan and India. At a national level, they must oversee the solution. They must talk. They must share a dialogue with sincerity and honesty on both sides. And they must share a dialogue for the restoration of peace, for the development and progress of both countries. They must take into consideration the people of both countries, rather the people of Kashmir - from this side, from that side.
40:38
For 50 years India and Pakistan have failed to find a solution to Kashmir. Pakistan demands incorporation of Kashmir into the wider Muslim community. In contrast, India wants the Muslims to live side by side with other religious communities - as they did for centuries before partition. The Kashmiris are suffering under the radicalisation of Islam by the rebels. They are also suffering under the oppressive violence of the Indian troops.
41:14
Every morning Indian soldiers comb the main transport arteries of the valley for mines or home-made explosives.
41:27
Tensions soared between India and Pakistan when, on May 11th 1998, India announced it had carried out five underground nuclear test explosions. Two days later, it exploded two more nuclear bombs. Global governments responded with outrage, sanctions, and the hope that Pakistan would not follow suit. Before the month was out, Pakistan exploded five of its own nuclear devices, which were followed by celebrations in the streets of Islamabad, and the deep disappointment and fear of the community of nations.
42.08 Meanwhile Kashmiris have come to accept the climate of fear in which they live. The former prime minister Nehru promised all Indian troops would be pulled out as soon as there was a cease-fire in the valley. But there’s no sign of that.
42:30
Whilst over half a million Indian soldiers dictate the daily lives of the Kashmiris, and the population will have no rest. And as the arms race in the region intensifies, the future remains bleak for the once happy valley of Kashmir.
ENDS 43 mins
A report by Marion Mayer-Hohdahl
Camera: Shailesh Seth
VT Editor: Danny van Vuuren
Music:
AKM Travelogues 1 - Indian Atmos CD 23
Nr. 26 Kural 3:30 mins
same CD
Nr 27 Asian Tension 1:30 mins
Nr 24 Kashmir 1:46 mins
Ravi Shanker Celebration - Highlights
Angel Prod. 7243 55561725 Nr. 5 West eats Meat - 1 min
Valley Of Despair
43 Mins - April 1998
A film by Marion Mayer-Hohdahl
00:00
00:07
COMMENTARY STARTS
Sunrise over Lake Dal in Kashmir, nestled in the lap of the majestic Himalayas. The lake lies next to the city of Srinigar, summer capital of the Indian occupied states of Jammu and Kashmir.
00:24
TITLE: KASHMIR - VALLEY OF DESPAIR
00.32
Lake Dal is a labyrinth of waterways where crops are cultivated on floating pieces of land. Entire families live on boats, clinging stubbornly to their ancient culture. But the harmony of this scene belies the fact that Kashmir at smouldering war, two thirds occupied by India, a third by Pakistan. Both sides commit atrocities, both create refugees. Both have nuclear weapons.
01:02 COMMENTARY
The city of Srinigar has become a military camp. Half a million Indian soldiers have been stationed here since the Kashmiris reached for their guns nearly 10 years ago. The predominantly Muslim population want independence. And they want the Indian troops out.
01.25
The British colonial rulers used to call this the happy valley. Now, it’s become a valley of fear. Fear of the Indian soldiers, fear of the rebels. The military are at every street corner. The Kashmiris are no longer masters in their own home.
01.52
In earlier days these streets were swarming with tourists. Today, it’s hard to get here and the army is in control. The Indian government wants to keep this part of the country hidden away from the glare of the international media and human rights organisations.
Kashmiris themselves are divided: some want to belong to Pakistan, the rest to have total independence. But India is seen as the major aggressor in the region.
02:26
Those who go out onto the streets to demonstrate have courage. Marching to protest for a referendum often ends in violent incidents. The Kashmiris were promised a referendum in 1947 but it has never taken place. The state of emergency in Kashmir allows the Indians to arrest any Kashmiri. The Indian army, their special troops and the police aren’t timid. Victims say they are tortured during interrogations. Many don’t survive. Amnesty International has been trying to get into Kashmir for years - but the Indian government won’t let them.
03:20
Even the disabled, like Abdul Raheem Ganie, are tortured by the Indians. For days he was held in detention before being released.
03:36
Original sound
Abdul Raheem Ganie, torture victim
They came at midnight and searched the house. They took all the money I had, 20’000 rupees. I was shoved into a car. Four days long I was interrogated. I got electric shocks in the ears. They didn’t let me go to the toilet and they kept asking me about an engineer called Jaman. I don’t know any engineer called Jaman.
03:57 COMMENTARY
Then, the Indians threatened to hack off his remaining leg.
04:02
The women tell us what happened that night. We don’t want any tyrants that kill our sons and torture our husbands, they say. When they come, the whole area is cordoned off. We don’t want the Indians here. We want our independence.
04:17
The 65 year-old Abdul has lived through a lot. His son belongs to a rebel group. Because of this he’s often interrogated and tortured. His nephew was tortured while he was in detention and died as a result. He was just 20 years old. Almost every family has a story of atrocities committed by the Indians.
04:43 archive footage
The climax of the conflict came three years ago. A 15th century mosque in the village of Char-e-Sharif was occupied by troops from the Pakistani part of Kashmir along with Afghanis. Indian troops stormed the mosque. Fires were lit. The rebels were killed. The Indians say the rebels were to blame. But Kashmiris say the Indian soldiers provoked them.
05:17
For many, the mosque today has become a symbol of resistance.
Sheikh Nuruddin founded the strain of Islam practised here called Kashmiryat. Nuruddin is part of the people’s cultural identity, their demand for self-determination.
05:34
Yasin Malik, in white, is leader of the JKLF - the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front. In the spirit of Sheikh Nuruddin, they’re fighting for total independence from both India and Pakistan.
05:49
free: We want freedom...
05:50
Yasin Malik was Kashmir’s first guerrilla leader. His JKLF is the most prominent liberation movement. He’s spent five and half years in prison. Torture, hunger strikes and a heart operation have weakened him. In 1994, he laid down his gun in an attempt to find a political solution.
06:12
Original sound
Yasin Malik (in English)
Jammu and Kashmir Liberation organisation
Over the last two and a half years the government of India has started their brutal operations. Namely to kill them, crush them until they die. Whosoever they find is a sympathiser with this movement, they kill them in a ruthless manner. They blast their houses. They gang rape their sisters and mothers. This is the situation here. It is the will of the people that they are alive.
06:55
Original sound
Major Pranod Purushottam (in English)
Army spokesperson
The army does have to use force. In counter-insurgency force has to be used. Once we get information that this particular person has got links to the militants, or the person is a militant with certain weapons, the army per force, has to use force. Unfortunately, what happens is the local agents of the people who are controlling these militants, they use these grounds to raise the bogey of human rights. The moment we go after a person they say ‘Oh, he was an innocent person’. We work only on hard intelligence. We do not go around torturing any old person.
07:32
The harder the army clamps down - the greater the resistance of the people.
07:42
In the local newspapers are photographs of Ghulam Mohi-ud-din Regoo. He was tortured. Three days later, Indians threw him on his own doorstep. His arms and feet were hacked off.
08:00
We were all here together, says his widow. They came late in the evening and were disguised.
08:10
He was a judge and not a militant. He cried out three times ‘God help me’.
08:16
original sound
Masooda Parveen, widow
We have nothing.. nothing. No way back. ….. I am a mother. What can I do? I always pray to God. Please…help me and my children… How can I look after my children?
08:53
original sound
Farkhand Mohi-ud-din, 13 years old. (in English)
We don’t have anything anymore. No income. The Indians don’t treat us like equals. My father was innocent.
09:07
original sound
Manzoor Hassan Reshi, (in English)
neighbour
People only want freedom. That is their birthright. Kashmir has been annexed to India unnecessarily. People are coming peacefully. They are demonstrating peacefully. Come on! Give us our freedom, it is our birthright! But it’s a bloodbath. Their houses were burnt, their women were raped, and everywhere they are pressing this horrible situation. This has been a problem for the last 50 years. But there are very weak politicians in Delhi and Pakistan who are just taking them for a ride. Kashmiris want peace. They want to decide for themselves and they will live peacefully.
09:38
In 1995, six tourists were kidnapped by the Muslim group Harkat ul-Ansar. The rebels were supplied with money and weapons by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Afterwards, sympathy for the rebels shrank.
09:52
Briton Keith Mangan
09:56
German Dirk Hasert
09:58
Briton Paul Wells, and
10:01
the American Donald Hutching of whom there is no trace.
10:04
Norwegian Hans Christian Otto was murdered.
10:07
Original sound
Ali Mohamed Saga (in English)
Home Minister Jammu and Kashmir
They are fighting because the gunmen are simply there. Infiltration is simply there. Last year 1’200 militants infiltrated from the Pakistani border here. So their presence is there in the upper areas. So, guns are there. But politically what we’ve done is that we’ve isolated them. Now, the people are treating them as terrorists. In 1990/91 they were being treated as muhajadeens. So, this is the big difference, we’ve isolated the guns.
10:42
Or at least that’s the Indian line. These are some of the weapons the police have confiscated from the rebels. It’s easy to get weapons in this region. Kalaschnikovs, air defense rockets, timer fuses - the most modern equipment is available. Over 50 per cent of the arms come from China and the former Soviet Union. American and European weapons can also be found. Many ask, who’s funding all this? The Indians say the Pakistanis are. Other Islamic countries may also be involved.
11:23
original sound
Manohar Singh (in English)
police - special forces
They are in areas where the terrain is very difficult. Most of them are in the high hills. They are not facing us, face to face, and we take full care of human rights. This is guerrilla warfare. Whenever they find an easy target they hit it - and we go after them.
11:43
The man feared most by the Indians is Syed Salauddin.
11:46
He’s the leader of the pro-Pakistani group Hisbollah Mujahdeen. They want to conquer the Indian part of Kashmir for Pakistan. This is why Islamabad is so generous with money, weapons and shelter.
12:00
original sound
Syed Salauddin (in English)
pro-Pakistan rebel
Our strategy is to destroy the Indian economy. We don’t want to confine our struggle to the four walls of Kashmir. This is a centrally important issue of strategy - we want to expand our war to other parts of India to completely destroy economically important centres in India. Just as the Indian forces are destroying the economic situation of our Kashmiri people. We want to retaliate in the same way. As Indian forces have subjugated the innocent Kashmiris to tremendous physical torture we want to retaliate in he same way. We want to hit India wherever possible.
12:59
Responsibility for explosions in Srinigar have been claimed by different Islamic groups at the same time. There are quarrels between them. There have been over 100 liberation movements throughout the 1990’s, only a handful remain. Their violent acts are as gruesome as those of the Indians. And it’s Kashmiri civilians who are the victims.
13:21
original sound
Major Pranod Purushottam (in English)
Army spokesperson
Previously the militants used to move around with impunity. They used to cause damage, and they used to go and extort money, and they used to carry out rapes and other things. But now, they cannot. They cannot move around freely. That type of restriction we have imposed on the militants. The militants have lost them the support of the local population. Because the local population has realised that it’s the local population, the common man, who is not involved in all this who has suffered.
13:49
These people have certainly suffered. In early 1998, 23 Pandits - Hindu Kashmiris - were killed by the Muslim rebels. Since 1989, they’ve become the target of what India calls Islamic terrorism. Thousands have fled. Pandits could no longer trust their Muslim neighbours, with whom they’d lived side by side for centuries.
14:14
They fled from Srinigar to Jammu - the winter capital of the region. The journey takes 14 hours, through winding mountain passes.
14:24
The population here in Jammu is mainly Hindu. Throughout the 1990’s more than a quarter of a million Pandits have taken refuge here. The city is crammed with Hindu Kashmiris who have set up home in empty or half-built houses.
14:39
This cellar is shared by three families. Many of them thought they’d only have to stay here short term .
14:49
original sound
Naranjan nath Pandita (in English)
Hindu Kashmiri
We were threatened with being killed and frightened because some of our relatives were killed two or three days earlier. Then they threatened us and so we left Kashmir. We left everything there. We wanted to preserve our dignity.
15:08
original sound
Nancy Pandita
wife
We wanted to make sure our daughter wasn’t raped. We thought we would be here two or three months, then we’d be able to go back home. In eight years, no one has helped us. There’s just talk - nothing more.
15:23
The parents and their four children aged from 13 to 23 share two beds, which doubles up as a sofa during the day.
15:33
Naranjan nath Pandita was a civil servant in Kashmir. He hasn’t been able to find work here. Every family gets a 1500 rupee grant from the government - about 40 US dollars. Enough to live on but not enough to rent accommodation.
15:50
Everyone dreams of going back home to the valley. But since the most recent massacre of Pandits in January many have given up hope.
16:08
And anyway, their homes have often been looted, destroyed or burnt. Those still standing are now occupied by Muslim Kashmiris.
16:20
In Jammu there are 16 grim refugee camps like this one. About 20’000 people live in the camps. Nobody helps them. They are treated as foreigners. Over 90 per cent are educated, but most can’t find work. There is no health care.
16:38
original sound
Kuldeep Raina (in English)
Panun Kashmir party
We started in September 1989 when they killed our leader Pandit Taqloo. That was the first signal. The bastards don’t want you. And then, almost every day there were two or three killings. It culminated on 19th January 1990 when I must tell you, simultaneously, from around 10’000 mosques in the valley, there was almost an order from the mullahs in these mosques, telling us to vacate the valley within 24 hours.
17:15
Pyaray Lal Dhar has been voted the refugees’ spokesman and represents their interests. When the Pandits were forced out of Happy Valley they founded their own party: Panun Kashmir - Our Kashmir. They are demanding a homeland - a part of the valley. Hindu Kashmiris make up three per cent of the population. Everyone in Kashmir is fighting for their own cause.
17:45
Pyaray Lal Dhar doesn’t want his three children to grow up like this. In Jammu they have no rights. In Kashmir, they’re not tolerated.
18:04
Together with 30 others this family fled from Kashmir in 1990. Pyarays’ brother is in the student movement. The Pandits are discriminated against in the Jammu education system. Their diplomas are only partially recognised, and yet they have to study longer than the local Hindus.
18:26
original sound
Pyaray Lal Dhar (in English)
Pandit refugee
We are fighting for our homeland. We’re fighting for our survival because we don’t have one. Our future in the valley is very bleak. It’s gone to the winds. They are not ready to welcome us. They are not ready to compromise.
18:51
The homeland, Srinigar, was once at peace. Lake Dal earnt it the title of Venice of the Himalayas. Today, it’s a crippled city. The sign at the city’s entrance has become a joke. ‘Here begins the happy valley where the world stops and paradise begins,’ it says.
19:08
The valley has become a valley of fear. There are soldiers everywhere. For 50 years Kashmir has been a bone of contention between India and Pakistan. Three wars have been fought over it. The war over Kashmir is dirty with many casualties. For 50 years neither side has been able to win freedom or ensure peace.
19:24
Mamdin Khan lal Jan is a refugee. He fled with his family from a remote village in the mountains surrounding the valley. Kashmiris feel betrayed. They’ve always been under foreign rule. First by a Hindu maharajah, then by the Indians. Now, they have to struggle with the rebels. Mamdin has found work here. He looks after the animals of a rich Kashmiri. He earns 500 rupees a month - barely enough to keep his six children alive. The youngest is nine months old.
20:07
original sound
Mamdin Khan lal Jan
farmer
Both the rebels and the army torment innocent families. Both come to our houses and take what they want. They take the women and children. They rape them. India or Pakistan haven’t helped the poor. I want to work in peace. We want peace.
20:27
It’s a plea heard over and over again.
20:31
The civil war has inflicted other wounds . Kashmir’s economy lies in tatters. The valley was once a popular high altitude tourist resort. Now, only the occasional wary visitor comes here.
20:47
Carpet weaving used to be a thriving industry in the region, with large factories in Srinigar. Now, they’re woven at home.
21:02
The famous houseboats on the Dal lake are empty. They were once Srinigar’s proud flagships. One of the maharaja’s edicts gave the English the idea to build the boats. As foreigners they weren’t allowed to buy land. The English got around the ban buy building luxurious houseboats which were anchored to the shores of the lake. Many were used as accommodation by tourists.
21:27
Fayaz Khuroo owns a hotel and two houseboats. His grandfather started the business. A fully fitted houseboat costs 5 million rupees - about 12,000 US dollars. Today the boats stand as still and lifeless as the Marie Celeste. Before the trouble, the boat was booked out for most of the year.
21:53
original sound
Fayaz Khuroo (in English)
houseboat owner
We definitely have the feeling we want to have a peaceful life. But there are so many things we have to think of. We are in our own country but we still don’t feel like we are free or anything else. We want to have a peaceful life.
22:13
Women demonstrate against a vote which has been imposed by the Indians. The people want a boycott. For Kashmir’s 80% Muslim population, hatred for the Hindu government in Delhi runs deep.
22:26
The army deals with demonstrations under the so-called Tada law - a law which prevents terrorist acts. Even women are seen as a threat.
22:44
When politicians visit the valley, whole streets are blocked off, everybody is searched In the first vote since the partition of Indian and Pakistan in 1947, those who supported total independence for Kashmir won. Those who wanted Kashmir to belong to Pakistan said Delhi rigged the result, and the regime was just a puppet Indian government. There were more votes in 1996 and 1997. Both were largely boycotted.
23.15
Kashmir is gripped by the Indian constitution, which doesn’t allow for joining Pakistan or for independence. It is also the only one of the 25 union states in India with a degree of autonomy. If Delhi were to give up Kashmir completely, it could start a rollercoaster for India’s other regions demanding self-determination. If Kashmir split, India’s 700 million Hindus would turn on the Muslims. For India’s politicians, Kashmir’s best chance of peace is if it remains a part of India.
23.50
original sound
Ali Mohamed Saga (in English)
Home Minister Jammu and Kashmir
There are people who are saying independence, there are people who are saying Pakistan but the majority, I think, most of the people want to remain in India with honour and dignity.
24:03
original sound
Mir Mohamed Omar Farooq (in English)
Imam
What is really the policy of New Delhi is that they’ve literally give the whole issue of Kashmir into the hands of the army and the troop - let them decide what is best for the Kashmiris. Otherwise there is no political agenda for the people. There is no political will in New Delhi to resolve the conflict politically or amicably. They feel they have the force, the might - they can carry on the situation. It’s true they have the resources, we don’t have resources and I don’t know how long we can fight. But one thing is certain - it’s not going to be a piece of cake for the Indians. People in Kashmir are ready to fight to get their rights.
24:50
Perspectives differ. Mir Mohamed Omar Farooq is the highest ranking imam at Srinigar’s oldest mosque.
NATSOT
25:12
India reproaches him and other imams for using their religious status to make political speeches. Omar Farooq and his movement are one of 28 secessionist groups in the Huriyet Conference. This alliance doesn’t want to join Pakistan, but wants a referendum which could lead to independence.
NATSOT
25:43
Omar Farooq and other party members have put themselves forward to New Delhi as people to negotiate with, but until now India has refused all contact. Despite in-fighting over whether to join Pakistan or go for total independence - all groups are united over one issue: India must remove its troops from Kashmir. The young imam is revered, and when he called for a general strike in the name of the political alliance, the people were right behind him.
26:16
Srinigar today is at a standstill. Only the Indian soldiers are going about their business. Every year, out of respect for a rebel leader of the Jammu and Kashmir liberation movement murdered in New Delhi, shops close for a day of remembrance. Even if shop owners are not directly related to the struggle, they support the call of the militant groups - to show their aversion to the occupying Indian forces.
26:50
Khazir Mohamed Wani has hated the Indians ever since the army’s special forces murdered his son.
26:58
original sound
Khazir Mohamed Wani
We can’t say anything. The army would fetch us, torture us and kill us - just like they killed my son and tortured my son-in-law. We’re worried. The Indians are brutal people.
27:12
Mohamed Shafi-Wani’s son was a member of the Hisbollah Mujahdeen. He fought in the jihad - the holy war against India.
27:27
original sound
Hajira, 13 years old
The Indian tyrants killed my father. He was fighting for us, for our freedom.
27:36
The family home has been destroyed twice. The army came at night. The soldiers threw a mine with a time fuse into the house. The family had half an hour to get out of the building before the mine exploded.
27:54
No one in this village is safe - either from the attacks by the army or the rebels. Here the police are patrolling the village of Soura. Soura has been a rebel stronghold for years. Even today the area is not secure. During the day it belongs to the police - at night to the rebels.
28:16
This area was destroyed in one skirmish. The army set fire to a building with 5 rebels inside, when they came out they were shot.
28:26
original sound
resident
I lost everything. Twenty five houses were burnt to the ground. I only had the clothes I was wearing - nothing else. 28:37 I’m scared of the rebels and I’m scared of the army.
28:40
The police admit the fires and the reprisals happened. The army denies it.
28:47
In front of nearly every police station mothers and wives wait for news of their detained sons and husbands. The Indians need to extract information from them on the Islamic fundamentalists from Pakistan.
29:00
original sound
denouncer
I was with the Hisbollah Mujahdeen. and was trained in Pakistan. The leaders are based there and we have to fight for them. Pakistan finances the rebels - as well as the Huriyet Alliance. That’s not good for the Kashmiris.
29:45
This stunning scenery is the setting for the border between Indian Kashmir and Pakistani Kashmir. In 1947, feudal lords in the principality were forced to choose whether to belong to India or Pakistan. For months the Hindu Maharaja couldn’t decide. Pakistan invaded the valley to try and annex it by force. The Maharaja called on Indian troops to help and lodged a complaint with the United Nations. The UN proposed a cease-fire and a referendum. Neither have since happened.
30:20
On patrol in Chakothi - the last village before the Pakistan-India border. There used to be a road here direct to Srinigar. Today, there’s no shooting. But it’s not always as quiet as this. (PAUSE) Behind this hill lies Indian Kashmir with a population of 7 million. The border snakes along the river - both sides watch each other’s every move.
30.53
The Kashmiris - whether they support union with Pakistan or independence - still move across the border. They don’t allow themselves to be separated. They see themselves as belonging together and having one common enemy - India. A state of tension rules over the beautiful landscape.
31:17
Those who have the misfortune to live along the border between Indian and Pakistani Kashmir are always a target. India has increased the mortar attacks to intimidate the rebels.
31:30
We are always being shot at - even the cows.
31:36 Over there is also Kashmir but the Indians don’t want to give it up.
31:44
Officially Pakistan keeps its army out of the guerrilla war. Officially, Azad Kashmir - free Kashmir as its called in Pakistan, with its 3 million inhabitants, is independent. But the political strings are pulled by Islamabad.
32:05
Villager
We want to be free from India. We want a free Kashmir. The only thing that counts for anyone is freedom. But many there are many quarrels. Some don’t want to belong to Pakistan.
32:19
The India-Pakistan rift is intensifying, and the worry is that the next armed conflict between India and Pakistan will be an atomic one.
32:30
original sound
Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan (in English)
Prime Minister Free Kashmir-Pakistan
You see, the situation has to be resolved otherwise the two countries will continue to deploy their resources against each other. Particularly building up their defenses and the defense expenditure is almost beyond the capacity of the countries - it’s got to that extent. Then, at the same time, besides the conventional power they accumulated, there is the nuclear capability on both sides. And, with the tempo of hatred and animosity and continuing to lean against each other, it can bring about a nuclear disaster in this part of the world.
33:16
There are also refugee camps in the Pakistani part of Kashmir, for those who have fled the Indian regime. In 1997, the prime ministers of India and Pakistan held talks over Kashmir. But since the Indian nationalistic Hindu party the BJP has come to power, the chances of a dialogue are slim. The party wants nuclear weapons. For these refugees the status quo remains: they’ve got nowhere they can call home.
33:45
original sound
Raja Ishar Khan
village committee
Kashmir is burning. And, when we were living in our own village they burnt it. The market, 400 shops and 200 houses and one village school - went up in flames. They burnt 150 students in the middle classes. They killed a member of the upper house assembly and the same day, after they burnt the village of Sopore they burnt Baramula town.
34:32
Raja Khan left his village and fled 100 kilometres . The Border Security Forces razed the entire village of Sopore in 1993. Fifty-five men, women and children burned to death in their homes. Young men were beaten up and taken away. Some have never been seen again. Since then Raja Khan and his family have been eking out an existence in the Pakistani part of Kashmir, without any hope of a better future.
35:20
Sohrab Khan wore this uniform of the Indian police for 33 years. But two years before getting his pension, he had to give everything up.
35:31
Sohrab Khan
former policeman
I left the village because Indian soldiers had raped a girl - one after the other. She took refuge in a police station. So then we all had to flee to Pakistan.
35.46
Pakistan always has money to spare for the rebels - but for the refugees the government does very little. The women embroider the famous Kashmir shawls. But what happens when they want to sell them? Muzaffarabad is 30 kms away from the border. Nobody comes here. Pakistani Kashmir is mountainous and poor. The wealthy part of Kashmir lies in India.
36:14
Children here are taught under the open skies - weather permitting. Education is the only thing that will give them a chance in life. 36:30 Even the smallest refugees want only one thing: Freedom for Kashmir.
Children chanting freedom, freedom then music up
36:55
Pakistan supports guerrilla groups because it sees them as fighting a Jihad to preserve Islamic beliefs. The Jihad is ranked above the interests of the Kashmiris.
37:06
In the valley, the Indians troops focus on keeping order. They consider Kashmir an internal matter. The problem for them would be solved if Pakistan stopped sending weapons and soldiers into the valley. But the solution is not as simple as that.
37:21
Jammu and Kashmir border China, and are strategically important for India. India has been to war with Pakistan and China. Kashmir is a buffer zone. The valley is 130 km long and 40 km wide. Most of the people are involved in agriculture.
37:47
In comparison to the rest of India, the population here isn’t poor. The land belongs to the farmers. In 1951, all landowners with more than nine hectares had their land expropriated and divided. Most of the women and half of the men in the rural areas are illiterate. The biggest problem for the rural population is the collapse of all public services since the civil war. There’s no medical care in the villages.
38:19
The Lalla Ded Maternity hospital in Srinigar has only 500 beds for the 4 million people in the valley. The few doctors that work in Kashmir are totally overstretched.
38:40
Dr Tehmeena Hafij treats 100-150 patients every day. She’s been working here for a year. Every fifth weekend she has a day free - Sunday. There are too many patients. Two to three women have to share each bed.
39:06
original sound
Tehmeena Hafij (in English)
Doctor
We have too much workload - the surrounding centres send their patients here because they don’t have equipment or doctors. We don’t have many doctors here. We’re working in very bad conditions but we’re trying to do our best.
39:24
The best often isn’t enough - particularly in case of an emergency. The hospital can’t do much for the large numbers of patients with gunshot wounds. The victims of explosions and massacres often die. Vital medical equipment is lacking - and frequently drugs are too.
39:44
The death toll in Kashmir is increasing. Over 10’000 civilians have died since the rebellion in 1990, according to the Indians. Add to that 5’000 to 10’000 guerrillas. The rebel groups claim the figures are far higher. There’s no end to the conflict in sight.
40:07
original sound
Ali Mohamed Saga (in English)
Home Minister Jammu and Kashmir
A solution? That is the job of Pakistan and India. At a national level, they must oversee the solution. They must talk. They must share a dialogue with sincerity and honesty on both sides. And they must share a dialogue for the restoration of peace, for the development and progress of both countries. They must take into consideration the people of both countries, rather the people of Kashmir - from this side, from that side.
40:38
For 50 years India and Pakistan have failed to find a solution to Kashmir. Pakistan demands incorporation of Kashmir into the wider Muslim community. In contrast, India wants the Muslims to live side by side with other religious communities - as they did for centuries before partition. The Kashmiris are suffering under the radicalisation of Islam by the rebels. They are also suffering under the oppressive violence of the Indian troops.
41:14
Every morning Indian soldiers comb the main transport arteries of the valley for mines or home-made explosives.
41:27
Tensions soared between India and Pakistan when, on May 11th 1998, India announced it had carried out five underground nuclear test explosions. Two days later, it exploded two more nuclear bombs. Global governments responded with outrage, sanctions, and the hope that Pakistan would not follow suit. Before the month was out, Pakistan exploded five of its own nuclear devices, which were followed by celebrations in the streets of Islamabad, and the deep disappointment and fear of the community of nations.
42.08 Meanwhile Kashmiris have come to accept the climate of fear in which they live. The former prime minister Nehru promised all Indian troops would be pulled out as soon as there was a cease-fire in the valley. But there’s no sign of that.
42:30
Whilst over half a million Indian soldiers dictate the daily lives of the Kashmiris, and the population will have no rest. And as the arms race in the region intensifies, the future remains bleak for the once happy valley of Kashmir.
ENDS 43 mins
A report by Marion Mayer-Hohdahl
Camera: Shailesh Seth
VT Editor: Danny van Vuuren
Music:
AKM Travelogues 1 - Indian Atmos CD 23
Nr. 26 Kural 3:30 mins
same CD
Nr 27 Asian Tension 1:30 mins
Nr 24 Kashmir 1:46 mins
Ravi Shanker Celebration - Highlights
Angel Prod. 7243 55561725 Nr. 5 West eats Meat - 1 min