Guest guest Posted July 22, 2003 Report Share Posted July 22, 2003 Seven devotees on pilgrmage to the shrine of goddess Vaishno Devi in Kashmir were killed today and another 42 injured during an attack by Islamist militants. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reports: (Tue, 22 Jul 2003 21:22 AEST) India has charged attacks by suspected Islamic militants on an army base and a Hindu shrine which left 16 people dead in Indian Kashmir were aimed at derailing a fledgling peace process with Pakistan ... Tuesday's bloody raid came just hours after an attack Monday night on crowds gathered to receive free food near the town of Katra on their way to the shrine of Vaishno Devi in southern, Indian-administered Kashmir, which is visited by thousands of Hindus each year. Officials said seven Hindu devotees died and 42 others were injured in the attack, in which militants hurled two grenades at Hindus as they queued for food at a community kitchen. Witnesses said the attack appeared to have little effect on the pilgrimage, with some 4,000 devotees stopping for lunch on Tuesday at the same kitchen where the bloodletting had taken place Monday night. Pilgrim Diwakar Sharma, leading a group of 10 devotees from neighbouring Punjab state, shrugged off the killings. "The call of goddess Vaishnov Devi is irresistible," he said. "Rebels cannot check us from visiting the holy shrine." The latest attacks follow a relative lull in violence in the disputed state, which has been gripped by a mood of optimism since an April 18 offer by Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee of a "hand of friendship" to Pakistan in their dispute over Kashmir. Tourists have since then flocked to the state in numbers not seen since the rebellion began in 1989, while India and Pakistan have edged towards reopening dialogue over the future of the divided state. **** The good news is, both India and Pakistan are taking pains *not* to point fingers at one another in the wake of this incident, and seem intent on not allowing it to derail the peace process. For the full story, visit: http://www.abc.net.au/news/justin/weekly/newsnat-22jul2003-73.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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