When Pakistan sponsored terrorists planned to ethnically cleanse
Doda-Kishtwar region by massacring minority community (mainly Dogras) in
large numbers in late 90s and early 2000s, basically It was a plan to
replicate the-successful-ethnic-cleansing-of-Kashmiri-Pundits from
valley model of 1990-91 in Doda-Kisthwar region, the Indian
Army and the people gave Pakistan a fitting reply by exterminating the terrorists.
'Kishtwar Cauldron' by Major General (retd) G D Baskshi is very fine record of his tenure in Doda-Kishtwar region and it helps in great details to understand the designs of Paksitan.
The story that the
electoral malpractices of the 1988 elections in J&K were the root cause of
the insurgency is a kind of a cruel joke. Pakistan cleverly planned its master
plan of Kashmir much earlier. It was the plan of President Zia ul Haq to use
Afghanistan Mujahideen kind of extremists in Kashmir. As Pakistan was
helping/assisting US so it thought US would not opposed it.
ISI sent few thousands
agents/trained people to provide an extreme interpretation of Islam and to
twist it for Pakistan’s political advantage. The JKLF started as Pakistan sponsored
organization but ISI did not like its pro-Independence stance and ISI helped
Hizbul Mujahideen to wipe out JKLF by 1995. Indian forces made full use of this
fratricidal struggle. Indian Army
checked the rise of terrorism and infiltration and elections were conducted in
1996 (both Assembly and Parliamentary). The fencing on LOC
started in 2003 and completed by 2005. This drastically reduced the
infiltration.
The story of Doda-Kishtwar region is bit different. Doda before its
division used to be a huge district with more than 11,000 sq kms. Now it has an
area of 2300 sq km and Kishtwar district has about 7800 sq km. It has rugged
and snow peaked mountains. In south it touches HP, in east it touches Kargil
district and in west it is bounded by Pir Panjal range. Kashmiri terrorists
first came to Doda in 1991 to escape the pressure of Indian Army. Doda region
did not have any army presence that time. Soon ISI realized the importance of
this region. Terrorists started using its high pastures as safe haven and often
found shelters with Gujjar and Bakarwal communities. In 1993 the terrorists carried out the
massacre of 14 Hindus in a bus near Hasti near Kishtwar. By 1994 the civilian
administration was fully paralyzed and terrorism reached its peak in Doda. 800
Dogra families migrated to HP. Rashtriya Rifles and CRPF were allocated to his
region. To prevent mass migration of the Dogra minority, the Village Defence
Committee (VDC) was revived and some 330 villages were brought under the
protection of VDCs by issuing weapons (mainly archaic but sturdy 303 rifle) to local Hindu youths and the ex
servicemen of these villages. The massacres of Dogras resumed after some lull
in 1995 and 1996. In July 1998 about 64 Dogras were massacred at three places. There
was a kind of cat and mouse game between government and terrorists and Dogras
were caught in between. The massacres continued unabated and about 50 Dogras
were killed in 2000. From 1993-2001 a total of 229 Dogras were systematically
massacred in this region in order to cause ethnic cleansing of this region. The
Human Rights body did not utter a single word on this brutal attempt of ethnic
cleansing.
Major General (retd) G D Bakshi was appointed sector commander of this region in Oct 2000. He immediately brought situation under control. The tide turned in 2001. 13 Hindus (Dogras)
including women and children were mercilessly killed by the terrorists in
August 2001 in Kishtwar. General Bakshi took it very seriously and used all the forces under his disposal to track down the terrorists and by September
2001 all the terrorists involved in this massacre were extirpated. There was no
massacre of minorities after Sept 2001 in this region.
Its a very good book to understand the brutal designs of Pakistan and home grown terrorists and their sympathizers from this state. Its a common saying that if you can see your enemy you can kill it but if you cant understand your enemy then you cant defeat it.
Highly Recommended (8/10)
