Latest news with #ChittisinghpuraMassacre
IOL News
3 days ago
- Politics
- IOL News
No Lasting Peace: How Pakistan-based terror groups sabotage India-Pakistan relations
In 2000, the ''Chittisinghpura Massacre'' shocked the world when 35 Sikh villagers were murdered in Kashmir on the eve of U.S. President Bill Clinton's visit. Despite repeated calls for peace and dialogue, the history of India-Pakistan relations remains marred by a relentless pattern of cross-border terrorism. While diplomatic overtures and confidence-building measures have occasionally offered brief hope, a long list of terror attacks carried out by Pakistan-based militant groups reveals a stark reality: peace remains elusive as long as state-supported or state-tolerated terrorism continues. The cycle of violence dates back decades. One of the earliest large-scale attacks, the ''Mumbai Serial Blasts of 1993'', orchestrated by Dawood Ibrahim's D-Company with alleged support from Pakistani intelligence, left 257 people dead and over 1 400 injured. The attack marked the beginning of a bloody legacy of cross-border terrorism that would grow increasingly audacious. In 2000, the ''Chittisinghpura Massacre'' shocked the world when 35 Sikh villagers were murdered in Kashmir on the eve of U.S. President Bill Clinton's visit. The perpetrators belonged to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), one of the most active and dangerous Pakistan-based terror groups. The same year, LeT militants attacked the Red Fort** in Delhi, killing two Indian soldiers and a civilian — a direct assault on one of India's most iconic symbols. The 2001 Parliament attack in New Delhi was perhaps the most brazen provocation. Five terrorists from Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) stormed India's legislative heart, killing nine and bringing two nuclear-armed neighbours to the brink of war. Yet again, Pakistan's complicity in harbouring the attackers was evident. Terrorists continued to strike civilian targets. In 2002, LeT attackers killed 30 worshippers at the Akshardham Temple in Gujarat. In 2003, twin car bombings in Mumbai by the same group killed 52 people. In 2005, bombings in Delhi's bustling markets days before Diwali killed 62 civilians, with LeT claiming responsibility. The 26/11 Mumbai attacks in 2008 represented the deadliest assault yet. Over four days, ten LeT terrorists carried out coordinated attacks across the city, killing 166 people, including 26 foreign nationals.
NDTV
23-04-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Kashmir Attack During JD Vance's Visit Mirrors Bill Clinton's 2000 India Trip
New Delhi: US Vice President JD Vance touched down in New Delhi on Monday for his first official visit to India. And just as it happened during former President Bill Clinton's trip in 2000, a brutal terrorist attack took place in Jammu and Kashmir, once again during a high-profile American leader's visit to the country. This time, the valleys of Pahalgam were the site of horror. Terrorists on Tuesday opened fire on a group of tourists in the Baisaran Valley, a popular meadow near Pahalgam in Anantnag district. At least 26 civilians, mostly tourists, were killed, and more than 20 others were injured. The 2000 Chittisinghpura Massacre In March 2000, just hours before then US President Bill Clinton arrived in India for a landmark state visit, Jammu and Kashmir witnessed one of its most chilling terror attacks. On the evening of March 20, in the remote village of Chittisinghpora in Anantnag district, a group of armed men - dressed in what appeared to be Indian Army uniforms - entered the predominantly Sikh village at around 7:20 pm. They avoided the main mountain roads and approached silently through apple orchards and rice fields, under the cover of darkness. With electricity cut off, villagers were using candles and lanterns, many listening to news about the American president's visit on transistor radios. Unaware of the looming threat, some had just returned from evening prayers at the local gurudwaras. The attackers split into groups and began rounding up Sikh men from near the temples, shops, and homes. In total, 37 men were detained. Among them were two villagers who approached the commotion with lanterns, likely trying to help. The men were herded together and shot at close range. Thirty-five died on the spot, while two survived. This was the first large-scale targeting of the Sikh community in Kashmir's decade-long insurgency. Until then, Sikhs had largely remained outside the scope of the conflict. The 2025 Pahalgam Attack On Tuesday, around 2:50 pm, about four to six terrorists, disguised in military-style uniforms, emerged from the surrounding forests of Baisaran meadow - a popular tourist spot accessible only by foot or pony - and opened fire on a crowd of visitors. Witnesses reported that the terrorists initially posed as policemen, asking for names before suddenly opening fire. Survivors recounted that the attackers singled out non-Muslims, asking victims to recite the Kalma - the Islamic declaration of faith. Those who failed were shot. One survivor recalled an attacker telling a woman she was being spared so she could "go tell" Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the horrors of the attack. Among the dead were a 26-year-old Indian Navy officer and an Intelligence Bureau official.
