Kashmir book: Paradise Lost by Martin Sugarman

[safar]

The following is an Excerpt from the book

KASHMIR: Paradise Lost by Martin A. Sugarman

"In late Novermber, 1993, I visited Kashmir to document the social and
political turmoil and the massive human rights abuses there. Due to
the government of India's restrictions on journalists visiting the
area, I applied for tourist visa an found the means and assistance to
work undercover for a month of so before the Indian authorities
learned of my true purpose. Under very threatening conditions, I
managed to escape with all my film and interviews. Unlike Vietnam or
Bosnia, the media has failed in Kashmir for not getting the horrifying
story out. I hope this work will spark interest in the media to
expose this tragic situation to the world"

"Compared to Bosnia, the people in Kashmir have been assigned a
crueler fate. In Bosnia there are designated "safe havens." areas
kept under the watchful eyes of the United Nations, Western powers and
international media. In Kashmir, there are no safe havens and almost
no witnesses to the systematic killing of the civilian population."

more excerpts from KASHMIR: Pradise Lost

"Some Kashmiris have fled from the violence in Indian-occuipied
kahsmir to the refugee camps in Azad Kashmir, an area on the Pakistan
border. Their stories attest to the terrors left behind. Twenty-year
old Akhtar Khan, a refugee from a village in the district of Kupwara,
gave this account:

I was a merchant. I had no ties to the militants. My village
came under crackdown, the Indian security forces dragged me off to
interrogated. Tehy tortured me for ten days. Tehy wanted to know
about the militants. I had nothing to tell. Tehy said, "so you want
freedom," and then they cut my foot off and threw me on the road.
Some villagers were fleeing acress the border. They picked me up and
carried me on their back over the snow-covered mountains to Azad
Kashmir, where I received medical treatment. here in Azad Kashmir, I
have food and a place to live. I received medical treatment here at
no cost. I appreciate the help we are getting here, but I want to go
back home. I still want freedom. They cut one piece of my body.
Tehy can divide my whole body, but I still want freedom.

******************************

This book is full of picture of Men , women and children killed and
mutalated by Indians. It also shows whole vilages bombed by Indians.

Kashmir: Paradise Lost .......... Martin Sugarman

[Theja]

Safar, educate me here: Was not Kashmir ruled by a shiek and pledged to India through marriage ties that has to do with the Gandhis?

As Muslims the people may have stronger bond with Pakistan, but I heard the prince deeded it to India during/after Independence.

One has heard of the popular Kashmir apples.