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Kashmir Files: A grim reminder of role of Pak ISI in ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Pandits

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4 years ago

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“Kashmir Files”, a documentary film, has opened many wounds that were never healed even after more than three decades. There is not only one but countless true stories narrating the genocide of Kashmiri Pandit Community in the Kashmir valley. The film depicts the tragedies inflicted upon the Kashmiri pandits by the deep state of Pakistan and their loyalist terror outfits.

Though insurgency in Kashmir began in 1987 when Congress was in power in the centre. But by 1983, Pakistani dictator Zia ul Haq was fully prepared for covert operations against India, first in Punjab and subsequently in Kashmir. Zia’s policy laid down the foundation of Jihad. He believed that the Kashmir dispute would be solved in the context of an Islamic government in Afghanistan, a jihad in Kashmir and an uprising in Punjab in India. The late 1980s saw Islamic fundamentalism taking roots in the valley as a sequel to General Zia’s seminal strategy which intended to incite the locals into militancy. Zia was adamant to make Kashmir an Islamic issue and his policy spurred support of Pakistan’s fundamentalist parties and their loyalists in the Pakistani army and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

Pakistan’s involvement in Afghanistan was an apprenticeship for its low intensity conflict in Kashmir. The cash, arms and ammunition provided by the US and channelled through the ISI found its way to the Pakistani arms market and finally to the radical organisations.

The withdrawal of the Soviet Union and later its disintegration convinced the Pakistani establishment regarding the capabilities of the well organised “jihadi” groups. Pakistan’s strategy was to engage them in a low- intensity conflict in Kashmir with rewarding results. Armed with sophisticated weapons and cash from the US, motivated through religious indoctrination and convinced about their dedication to the cause of Islam and their ultimate victory, this new breed of Islamic jihadis emerged as a new tool to execute the foreign policy objectives of Pakistani military establishment. It wanted to achieve Pakistan’s objective of inflicting damage to India. According to the Pakistani strategy, this would also succeed in internationalising the Kashmir issue and keep India under the pump.

Zia died in a plane crash in 1988 but under the tenure of Benazir Bhutto, the Pakistani army and ISI kept executing its own Kashmir agenda as usual.

In his book “Shadow War: The untold story of jihad in Kashmir”, Pakistani journalist Arif Jamal gives a detailed reports about how plans were discussed in Kathmandu on January 4, 1990. While pro-jihadi participants voiced concerns over the growing influence of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) at the meeting, the founding leader of Jamat opposed direct involvement as it would destroy the organization and open it to an Indian security assault.

It was at this ISI sponsored meeting that pro-Pakistan separatist Syed Ali Shah Geelani suddenly appeared and made a passionate plea for openly supporting jihad in Kashmir. According to Jamal, that all the factions thereon supported jihad in Kashmir after this decisive meeting.

After consolidation, the ISI selected terrorist organisations to promote the next agenda – ethnic cleansing in Kashmir.

The diabolic project began with the targeting of Hindus in late 1989. The first to be killed was Pandit Tika Lal Taploo, a prominent leader of the Kashmiri Hindu Pandit community. Four months later, on 4January1990, Aftab, a local Urdu newspaper in Srinagar ran a press release issued by the Pakistan based terrorist outfit Hizbul Mujahideen, proclaiming jihad and asking all Hindus to leave the valley. Walls were plastered with posters asking Hindus to leave Kashmir, Hindu homes were dotted red and Hindu women were forced to sport marks on their foreheads (tilak); masked men with Kalashnikovs roamed the streets forcing people to reset their watches and clocks to Pakistan Standard Time.

With each passing day of January 1990, the tension mounted. Then on 19 January 1990, dubbed as the Kristallnacht of the Kashmiri Hindu Pandit community, the pressure reached its zenith. As dusk approached and Hindu families, women and children included, cowered inside their homes, behind the false security of their doors, outside the spine-chilling exhortations to leave the valley became louder and shriller. The muezzin’s routine calls to the Islamic faithful from mosque tops was replaced by three taped slogans that resonated throughout the cold January night asking Hindus to convert and follow the Shariat if they wanted to stay in Kashmir or to leave their wives and daughters behind.

Grabbing just what they could carry, uprooted Kashmiri Pandits were forced to leave the valley, leaving behind their ancestral homes.

All in all, according to IDMC (Internal Displacement Monitoring Center of the Norwegian Refugee Council) 350,621 Kashmiri Pandits or 90% of the Kashmiri Pandits who were living in the valley fled Kashmir.

According to a report by Shishir Gupta, Executive Editor, Hindustan Times, “the pattern on killings of Kashmiri Pandits by terrorists shows that the bulk of targeted attacks took place in 1990 with the onset of jihadi terrorism in the Valley. Subsequent killings dramatically dropped not because of a change in the intent of the Pak sponsored terror campaign but because the adversary had achieved their strategic goal-pogrom to cleanse the Valley”.

“The Pandits were killed primarily with the sinister jihadi agenda to establish Nizam-e-Mustafa in the Valley as part of a pogrom, the majority community were mostly killed as collateral damage during maintenance of law and order, encounters with terrorists, during grenade and IED attacks in the Valley. A considerable number were also targeted for variety of reasons ranging from suspected informers, refusing diktats of terror commanders related to women, money, or property as also terrorists taking sides and settling local disputes related to personal enmity,” writes Gupta quoting a senior Kashmir police officer.

“Although the Pakistani deep state is responsible for destroying communal cohesion in Kashmir in the 1990s, it was Islamabad’s then friend, the US, which failed to recognize terrorism in Kashmir till the J&K Assembly attack on October 1, 2001. Throughout the entire 1990s, the Valley was all about human rights with the US State Department and western media and their proxies in the Valley batting for Rawalpindi GHQ in the international fora and pinning down India on so-called violation of human rights. The US definition in the Valley changed from freedom fighter to militant to terrorist after the 9/11 attacks and the December 13, 2001, attack on the Indian Parliament,” says the report.

Things are changing for betterment since August 5, 2019 when Jammu and Kashmir was declared a Union Territory after article 370 was abrogated. Though the terror incidents have come down effectively but Pakistan is still trying to radicalise the local Kashmiri youth. Majority of Kashmiri pandits are still scared of going back to the valley, leaving their “settled” lives elsewhere. The Indian security agencies are on alert after the humiliating withdrawal by the US last year leaving sophisticated weapons worth billions of dollars with the Taliban in Afghanistan. There are apprehensions that the Taliban “affiliated” all Sunni Pakistani terror outfits may once again try to revive militancy in Kashmir.

“It is not the 1980s and this time Pakistan has been getting a taste of its own recipe. Baloch, TTP, ISIS all want their ‘booties, “says one intelligence officer adding, “but we can’t lower our guard.”

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Crime

ED Makes 3rd Arrest In ₹68-Crore ‘Fake Bank Guarantee’ Case Linked To Reliance Power Subsidiary; Kolkata Consultant Amar Nath Dutta Held

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4 hours ago

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November 7, 2025

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Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Kolkata-based consultant Amar Nath Dutta in connection with a money-laundering case involving forged bank guarantees (BGs) worth over Rs 68 crore. The case is linked to Reliance Power Limited’s subsidiary, which allegedly submitted fake BGs and endorsements to the Solar Energy Corporation of India Ltd (SECI), a central public sector enterprise under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

According to the ED, Dutta was taken into custody on November 6, 2025, under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. He was produced before the Additional Sessions Judge-04 at Patiala House Courts, New Delhi, which granted the agency four days of custody till November 10, 2025.

Dutta, who claimed to provide consultancy in trade financing, played a crucial role in orchestrating the fake BG racket along with Ashok Pal and Partha Sarathi Biswal. The probe stems from three FIRs filed in the case, including FIR No. 0079/2025, registered by SECI with the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Delhi Police. SECI reportedly suffered a loss exceeding Rs 100 crore due to the fraudulent bank guarantees submitted by the Reliance Power subsidiary.

Earlier, on October 11, 2025, the ED had arrested Ashok Kumar Pal, then Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Reliance Power Ltd, for his alleged role in the same money-laundering conspiracy. His arrest followed that of his associate Partha Sarthi Biswal, Managing Director of shell company M/s Biswal Tradelink Pvt. Ltd.

The ED’s forensic investigation revealed that forged endorsements purportedly from the State Bank of India (SBI) were generated through a spoofed email domain (mailto:sbi.17313@s-bi.co.in), designed to deceive SECI officials into believing the fake bank guarantees were authentic.

The agency also uncovered a network of spoofed domains mimicking several Indian banks, including ‘lndiabank.in’, ‘lndusindbank.in’, ‘pnblndia.in’, ‘psdbank.co.in’, ‘siliguripnb.co.in’, ‘lobbank.co.in’, and ‘unionbankofIndia.co.in’. These domains, featuring minor alterations or swapped characters, were allegedly used by the same group to conduct fraudulent transactions.

The ED is continuing its investigation to trace the flow of illicit funds, identify the ultimate beneficiaries, and locate assets acquired through the proceeds of crime. The agency is also examining the larger conspiracy and potential involvement of other individuals and entities connected to the scam.

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Crime

Delhi Police solve robbery case within 48 hours, arrest four

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7 hours ago

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November 7, 2025

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New Delhi, Nov 7: The Delhi Police on Friday cracked a robbery case within 48 hours, arresting four accused involved in the crime. With their arrest, police have recovered Rs 18,000 in cash and a Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire car used in the offence.

According to a statement issued by the South-West District Police, the staff of Police Post Subroto Park, under the jurisdiction of Police Station Delhi Cantt, apprehended four accused persons identified as Amit alias Kaku (21 years), Pawan (22 years), Manish alias Churri (21 years), and Sonam (19 years).

On November 3, a PCR call was received at the Delhi Cantt police station regarding a robbery committed by occupants of an unidentified car. The complainant informed police that after arriving from the IGI Airport to Dhaula Kuan Bus Stand around 1.30 a.m., he boarded a private Maruti Suzuki Tour car already occupied by three men and a woman.

During the journey, the woman allegedly began abusing and threatening him, while the men forcibly took his belongings, including a mobile phone and debit cards. The accused later withdrew Rs 33,000 from his bank account using the stolen card. They also broke his mobile phone and threw it away before abandoning him at an isolated location.

Following the complaint, a case was registered under FIR No. 283/2025, U/S 309 BNS at Police Station Delhi Cantt, and an investigation was initiated.

Considering the seriousness of the crime, a dedicated police team was formed under the close supervision of Anil Kumar, ACP/Delhi Cantt, and Inspector Shyoram, SHO/Delhi Cantt. The investigation team comprised Sub Inspector Jasbir Malik (IC/PP Subroto Park), PSI Manish Kumar, Head Constable Pawan, HC Rakesh Kumar, HC Bhaskar, and Ct. Ravinder.

The team meticulously analysed CCTV footage from NH-48, Vasant Kunj Road, MR Road, and Mahipalpur Road, which led them to identify a suspicious Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire. Enquiry revealed that the car belonged to one Lokesh Gupta, who had rented it out to Amit alias Kaku.

A swift raid was conducted, resulting in the arrest of Amit alias Kaku and Manish alias Churri. Based on their disclosure, co-accused Pawan and Sonam were also apprehended from their residences.

Amit alias Kaku (21 years), a resident of Vijay Enclave, Palam Dabri, New Delhi, is a 4th-class pass and works as a private cab driver. An orphan with two siblings, he has a history of criminal activity. He has been previously involved in nine criminal cases registered at various police stations, including Vasant Kunj (South and North), Delhi Cantt, Kapashera, and Dwarka South, related to robbery, theft, and violations of the Arms Act. He was also arrested earlier by Gurugram Police in a similar case.

Pawan (22 years), also from Vijay Enclave, Palam Dabri, New Delhi, is a 12th pass and works as a cab driver.

Manish alias Churri (21 years) resides in Mahavir Enclave, New Delhi. He has studied up to Class 10 and is currently unemployed. Police said he is a close associate of the main accused, Amit alias Kaku.

Sonam (19 years), a resident of Vijay Enclave, Dwarka, New Delhi, studied up to Class 4. She comes from a broken family, as her father remarried and lives separately. Sonam has a record of involvement in four robbery cases along with the accused Amit when she was a juvenile. She had previously been sent to an Observation Home for 40 days.

During interrogation, the accused confessed to their involvement in the crime.

Further investigation is underway to ascertain the involvement of the accused persons in other similar offences.

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Crime

Crackdown At Mumbai Airport: Customs Nab 4 Bangkok Flyers With 18 Kg Hydroponic Weed, 1 Dubai Flyer With Gold Bangles

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8 hours ago

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November 7, 2025

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Mumbai: On the basis of profiling, the Customs officers at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), Mumbai Customs Zone III, intercepted 01 passenger arriving from Bangkok to Mumbai by flight no.SL218. During the examination of the baggage, the Customs officers recovered 5.922 kg of suspected Hydroponic Weed (Marijuana), with an illicit market value of approximately ₹ 5.922 crores.

The narcotic substances were concealed inside the checked-in trolley bag carried by the passengers.

1 passenger was arrested under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.

On the basis of profiling, the Customs officers at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), Mumbai Customs Zone III, intercepted 02 passengers arriving from Bangkok by flight no. AI2338. During the examination of the baggage, the Customs officers recovered 12.017 kg of suspected Hydroponic Weed (Marijuana), with an illicit market value of approximately ₹12.017 crores.

The narcotic substances were concealed inside the chocolate and chips packets carried by the passengers.

2 passengers were arrested under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.

On the basis of profiling, the Customs officers at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), Mumbai Customs Zone III, intercepted 01 passenger arriving from Dubai to Mumbai by flight no. AI2202. During the personal search of the passenger, the Customs officers recovered 24 KT crude gold Bangles (08 pcs) having weight of 225 grams valued at Rs. 25.64 Lakh. The said gold was found concealed on body of the passenger.

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