2002 Qasimnagar massacre of Kashmiri Pandits

2002 Qasimnagar massacre of Hindus is massacre of hindus by suspected Islamic terrorists in Qasimnagar (Kasimnagar) near Jammu in Jammu and Kashmir in 2002. On July 13 2002 up to eight suspected Islamic militants walked into the Qasimnagar slum on the outskirts of Jammu and threw three or four grenades before opening fire with automatic weapons. Within minutes 24 people, all Hindus, were dead. Three more died later in hospital and at least 30 were injured, some critically. The dead included 13 women and a child.The gunmen escaped into the thickly wooded hills nearby.The victims were listening to the commentary of Indian-England cricket match.

The Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police said that “Pakistan-based militant outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba” is responsible for the attack

US Secretary of State Colin Powell spoke to External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha and condemned the massacre which he described as a “terrorist act”. The State Department also released one-para statement on behalf of Mr Powell saying: “I condemn the vicious killing of over 20 persons in Jammu yesterday. The people of this region deserve peace and development, not the suffering imposed upon them by terrorist thugs who are beyond the pale of the civilised world. The perpetrators of this heinous act are proving once again that they do not have the interest of the Kashmiri people at heart, but rather seek to undermine efforts to ease tensions in the region.”

Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a communication with the Ministry of External Affairs here, said: “The present terrorist act in Jammu and Kashmir like yesterday’s attack on a group of foreign tourists in the north of Pakistan form part of the same chain of international terrorism which present today a major threat to peace and security, including in South Asia.

“We emphasise that the first step in ending terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir is the consistent implementation of commitments given by the Government of Pakistan for preventing activities of terrorist groups on the territory under its control,” it said.

External links

* [http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020716/main4.htm]
* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4461393,00.html]