Islamabad, Over three decades have passed, yet justice remains elusive for the victims of the Sopore massacre, a violent episode involving Indian troops in Sopore town of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
According to Kashmir Media Service, a report issued today on the 31st anniversary of the massacre reveals that over 60 Kashmiri civilians were killed, and more than 400 shops and residential houses were destroyed by Indian Border Security Force troops in Sopore in 1993. The report labels the incident as a stark example of extreme state violence by India in the occupied region.
The report highlights the international attention the massacre received, including its mention in TIME Magazine on January 18, 1993. The article in TIME, titled “Blood tide rising: Indian forces carry out one of the worst massacres in Kashmir’s history,” condemned the actions of the troops involved. Amnesty International, a UK-based human rights watchdog, also expressed concern over the extra-judicial killings in Sopore and criticized the Indian government’s inadequate response and investigation into these killings.
The document sheds light on the ongoing plight of Kashmiris, stating that incidents like the Sopore massacre are not isolated but part of a series of such tragedies resulting from India’s continued occupation of Jammu and Kashmir. It asserts that Indian troops have perpetrated over two dozen massacres in the region, revealing the harsh reality of what it describes as “so-called Indian democracy.”
The report argues that India’s strategy of intimidation through mass killings has not deterred Kashmiris from their struggle for freedom. It laments the fact that, despite more than 30 years since the massacre, the victims and their families still await justice while the perpetrators remain free. The report calls for international human rights bodies to investigate these massacres and urges the global community to intervene to halt what it describes as the ongoing genocide of Kashmiri people by India.