Pakistan has never apologised for the human rights violation carried out by its army, despite having often claimed credit for it, and rights groups have chosen to ignore the well-documented massacres, according to Italian political expert Sergio Restelli.
The intervening night of October 21-22, 1947, when Operation Gulmarg was launched, is considered one of the darkest days in the history of Jammu and Kashmir. On this day, Pakistan had launched its bid to seize and destroy the territory.
Writing for The Times of Israel, Restelli stated that it is deeply saddening to see how the United Nations Human Rights Commission and Amnesty International have chosen to ignore this massacre which is documented.
"On October 22, 1947, the first act of a newly established Pakistan was to start its first Jihad in Kashmir which was so devastating that even after 74 years people recollect those days of horror as the black day. The scale of horror and destruction was unimaginable," said Restelli.
According to the Italian political advisor, this mayhem is deeply etched in the psyche of every Kashmiri - the reminder of Pakistan's treachery, of the rapes, murder and pillage by armed tribal militia let loose by the Pakistani Army.
A report by European Foundation for South Asian Studies (EFSAS) said that the horrors of the tribal invasion that left between 35,000 and 40,000 dead, besides, a grim mark on the fate of J-K. "The day marked the first and most critical step in the erosion of the Kashmiri identity with the state and its people being torn apart by an UN-drawn LoC (Line of Control) that divides the erstwhile princely state and its inhabitants," EFSAS said.
As the world had abandoned Kashmir then, it is abandoning Afghanistan now, said Restelli.
The expert stated that Pakistan has never apologised for the violation of the rights carried out by its army. "It is deeply saddening to see how the United Nations Human Rights Commission and Amnesty International have chosen to ignore this massacre which is documented."
Restelli argued that Kashmiris are living on divided land and have Pakistan to blame for decades of violence.
"With the fall of Kabul to the Taliban on the 15th of August, this October 22nd has a larger significance, to never forget where it all started-in Kashmir with operation Gulmarg."
( With inputs from ANI )
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