Indian Authorities Could Find Out—If They Wanted To

By Rafique Khan

The kidnapping of five foreign tourists and the murder of one—Hans Christian Ostro of Norway—is another ugly episode in the senseless misery in Kashmir. In the past five years an average of 10 lives, mostly of innocent civilians, have been lost to violence every day in Kashmir. Kashmiris have become helpless spectators of death and destruction in their homeland. To protest Ostro's death, Kashmiris stayed at home from work, on strike, for one day. The kidnapping has once again helped relieve international pressure on the Indian government about the conflict in Kashmir. Once again, the focus of world attention has shifted away from bringing peace and freedom to Kashmir. This kidnapping will, once again, derail the human rights struggle in Kashmir, unless Kashmiris expose those guilty of Ostro's murder.

Ostro and four other Western hikers, including one American, were kidnapped in early July by an unknown group named Al-Faran. Al-Faran, in exchange for the five hostages, demanded the release of "their comrades" jailed by Indian authorities in Kashmir. Al-Faran set a July 15 deadline for the Indian government to release jailed militants in exchange for the hostages. Indian authorities refused.

A protest strike was called by the Hurriat Conference, a coalition of 32 political and religious groups in Kashmir, to condemn Al-Faran's tactics. "Al-Faran has given a terrorist reputation to our movement," said Omar Farooq, chair of the Hurriat. Al-Faran militants, according to press reports, have criticized the strike. "We ourselves know what we have to do...We don't need to be taught lessons by anyone," a statement from Al-Faran said, according to the Associated Press wire service.

The Indian government has accused the government of Pakistan of harboring the kidnappers. In a speech on Aug. 15, 1995, Prime Minister Narasimha Rao of India accused Pakistan of exporting terrorism. Pakistan rejected Rao's accusation.

The hostage crisis has given a new lease to Indian rule in Kashmir.

Indian officials claim that Al-Faran is a front for the Harakat al-Ansar, a militant outfit controlled by Pakistan. Harakat al-Ansar has denied any links with the kidnappers. The chief of Harakat al-Ansar, in a statement reported from Pakistan, described the kidnapping as "a brainchild of Indian intelligence agencies." He denounced the killing of Ostro as an inhuman act meant to defame the Kashmir freedom movement. Harakat al-Ansar contends that the kidnapping is the work of Indian agents. Delhi-based Afghan terrorists are sent into Kashmir to infiltrate militant Kashmir organizations fighting Indian forces, according to Ansar.

The kidnapping could be a desperate try by a renegade radical group that seeks publicity. The radical group may be fanatical, a splinter group from any of the many such groups that operate from Afghanistan and Pakistan. National borders are of no concern to these groups. They seek to avenge themselves on the West, in particular on America.

Elements within the Pakistan government that want to continue a war of revenge with India also could be responsible for the kidnapping. The kidnapping has put the present government in Pakistan in a vulnerable position. Pakistan could be declared a terrorist state by its one-time benefactor, the United States. Thus, the current regime in Pakistan is likely not involved.

Based on press reports, most Kashmiris believe that the kidnappings and a murder have been staged to blunt recent efforts to bring peace to Kashmir. Indeed, peace-building efforts were recently afoot in Kashmir. The United States ambassador to India visited Kashmir in June. The visit put pressure on the Indian government to seek resolution of the Kashmir conflict. Representatives of political interest groups from the Indian- and Pakistan-controlled areas of Kashmir are seeking avenues to meet and develop a common approach to resolve the conflict. Refusal to grant visas to International Red Cross officials by the government of India for unhindered access to Kashmir jails is a reproach to the Indian government.

The kidnapping has shifted the focus from Prime Minister Rao's promise of elections in Kashmir and the recent Indian debacle at Char-e-Sharif. Indian authorities seem to have gained from the hostage situation. The Indian fiat in Kashmir was for all practical purposes at an end. The hostage crisis thus has given a new lease to Indian rule in Kashmir.

The kidnappings have created a setback to the freedom movement. Kashmiris mourned when Ostro's body was found—calling it a "black day." The general strike called by the Hurriat conference gave a clear message to the world community that Kashmiris abhor terrorism and criminality.

In Srinagar, Shabir Shah, chairperson of the People's League Party, condemned the kidnappings and murder. From the Pakistani-controlled side of Kashmir, Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chair Amanullah Khan condemned the crime. Yasin Malik, a leader of JKLF from Indian-occupied Kashmir, told reporters, "We assure the victim's family that if the killers are Kashmiris, we will punish them." Condemnation of the kidnapping was universal. Maulvi Omar Farooq is reported to have said, "They [the kidnappers] are left all alone. No party, no group, no organization agrees with the behavior they adopted." Farooq's statement continues, "I hope, I pray the hostages are released safely so they can return to their homes and families."

Kashmiris need to do more than "pray." They must take the initiative to investigate and find the perpetrators of this crime.

Al-Faran's legitimacy and Ostro's murderers could be traced through the jailed militants whose freedom is sought by Al-Faran. Kashmiri freedom fighters must know that the kidnapping of tourists and murder does not further the freedom movement in Kashmir. Moreover, freedom can never be attained by spilling innocent blood. Ostro's murderers must be identified, and the guilty punished under law.

Old-timers in Kashmir will recall a demand made in 1964 when a relic of the Prophet Muhammad was stolen from the Hazratbal mosque and later was discovered under mysterious circumstances. Kashmiris had demanded then: "Asli Mulzim Ko Pesh Karo" (bring forth the real culprit). The Indian administration did not, leaving open the speculation that the theft was the work of Indian government agents in Kashmir.

Once again, Kashmiris may be losing an opportunity to attract Western support for their independence. American photo journalist Martin Sugarman, author of the book Kashmir: Paradise Lost, says of the current tragedy, "Those responsible for this crime are taking political advantage of the climate of anti-Muslim opinion in the West by distorting the image of the Kashmiri people as Islamic fundamentalists. Is there any better way to cast doubt on the legitimate claims of the Kashmiri people's costly struggle for freedom than to theatrically present to the Western world the severed head and body of the Norwegian tourist, Hans Christian Ostro, with the name of the Islamic terrorist group Al-Faran carved on his chest?".