Date: Tue, 4 Jul 95 21:19:47 PDT From: hanif@gharib.demon.co.uk The following is an Excerpt from the book KASHMIR: Paradise Lost by Martin A. Sugarman "In late Novermber, 1993, I visited Kashmir to document the social and political turmoil and the massive human rights abuses there. Due to the government of India's restrictions on journalists visiting the area, I applied for tourist visa an found the means and assistance to work undercover for a month of so before the Indian authorities learned of my true purpose. Under very threatening conditions, I managed to escape with all my film and interviews. Unlike Vietnam or Bosnia, the media has failed in Kashmir for not getting the horrifying story out. I hope this work will spark interest in the media to expose this tragic situation to the world" "Compared to Bosnia, the people in Kashmir have been assigned a crueler fate. In Bosnia there are designated "safe havens." areas kept under the watchful eyes of the United Nations, Western powers and international media. In Kashmir, there are no safe havens and almost no witnesses to the systematic killing of the civilian population." more excerpts from KASHMIR: Pradise Lost "Some Kashmiris have fled from the violence in Indian-occuipied kahsmir to the refugee camps in Azad Kashmir, an area on the Pakistan border. Their stories attest to the terrors left behind. Twenty-year old Akhtar Khan, a refugee from a village in the district of Kupwara, gave this account: I was a merchant. I had no ties to the militants. My village came under crackdown, the Indian security forces dragged me off to interrogated. Tehy tortured me for ten days. Tehy wanted to know about the militants. I had nothing to tell. Tehy said, "so you want freedom," and then they cut my foot off and threw me on the road. Some villagers were fleeing acress the border. They picked me up and carried me on their back over the snow-covered mountains to Azad Kashmir, where I received medical treatment. here in Azad Kashmir, I have food and a place to live. I received medical treatment here at no cost. I appreciate the help we are getting here, but I want to go back home. I still want freedom. They cut one piece of my body. Tehy can divide my whole body, but I still want freedom. ****************************** This book is full of picture of Men , women and children killed and mutalated by Indians. It also shows whole vilages bombed by Indians. Kashmir: Paradise Lost .......... Martin Sugarman