New York, Carin Jodha Fischer, a prominent human rights activist with extensive experience in Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir, has shed light on the Jammu massacre that took place in the aftermath of the subcontinent’s partition in 1947.
According to a news release by Kashmir Media Service, during the Kashmir Black Day event at the Pakistan Consulate in New York, Fischer outlined the massacre in which vast numbers of Kashmiri Muslims were killed by the Dogra Maharaja Hari Singh’s forces, the Indian Army, and Hindu radicals in various parts of the Jammu region as they tried to migrate to Pakistan.
Fischer also addressed conspiracies by RSS-backed groups attempting to tarnish Pakistan’s reputation through misleading portrayals of situations in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. She revealed her attendance at a George Washington University event titled “1st Annual Convention on Forgotten Genocides.” The convention was organized by the International Commission for Human Rights and Religious Freedom, with significant influence from extremist Indian American Hindu organizations financially supported by RSS and the broader Indian diaspora. One notable participant from HinduAction emphasized the supposed genocide of Kashmiri Hindus, advocating for Hindu-majority reinstatement in both regions.
The activist drew attention to the absence of Muslim representatives, including Kashmiri Muslims, at the convention. Instead, the agenda predominantly discussed events like the Armenian Genocide, current Armenian issues in Azerbaijan, and alleged Kurdish ethnic cleansing by Turkey.
Highlighting the need for greater awareness of Jammu’s historical events, Fischer juxtaposed the Jammu genocide with the Srebrenica massacre. She emphasized that the tragedy in Jammu occurred much earlier and had significantly higher casualties. In 1947, thousands of Muslims were killed in Jammu by forces under Dogra ruler Hari Singh and the RSS. She cited a report from the Times of London from that era, which estimated 237,000 Muslims were exterminated in the region. The aftermath saw the Muslim majority in the Jammu region transform into a minority.
Commenting on India’s current policies in occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Fischer expressed concerns over the Indian government’s ongoing settler colonial practices since 2019. She emphasized the urgency for an unbiased international investigation into the 1947 Jammu crimes to bring the extent of the tragedy to light.
As Fischer elaborated on India’s claims over AJK and GB territories, she underlined the importance of advocating for the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination, including those displaced in 1947.
She also touched upon the ongoing protests in AJK over rising electricity bills and inflation, suggesting RAW-backed Hindutva groups are leveraging these protests. Fischer warned against the Indian media’s disproportionate coverage of these events, clarifying that while AJK residents might be protesting, it shouldn’t be misconstrued as anti-Pakistan sentiment.