Jammu Kashmir
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| | Al-Faran kidnappings | | 17 years on, observations of eyewitness still relevant in Kashmir | | SRINAGAR, July 3: “If government does not check the atrocities by security forces, situations would go out of hands,” stated a US student, Cindy Rose Revern, 17 years ago. Cindy was one of the few witnesses to the abduction of four foreigners in Kashmir which took place on July 4, 1995.
The abduction drama which ended in complete mystery, with one hostage killed and four still missing, has once again been brought to centre stage by journalists Adrian Levy and Catherine Scott-Clark, authors of The Meadow: Kashmir 1995 – Where the Terror Began, who have alleged that the four Westerners were murdered by government backed Ikhwanis, working for the security forces.
“As a citizen of US, I would never like my country intervening in Kashmir as land belongs to Kashmiris. It is up to the local people to decide about it. Others can only support,” Cindy had said in an exclusive interaction with Kashmir Times, in 1995. The news item titled ‘Abduction made her interested in Kashmir’ was published four days after the abduction.
Kashmir Times had conducted one to one interaction with Cindy who was then staying in a houseboat in Dal Lake.
It was Cindy’s first visit outside country. She had heard a lot about the beauty of Kashmir from her countrymen, who visited Kashmir. Since her childhood, she had a wish to visit Kashmir for trekking and seeing the tourist spots. That year Cindy decided to visit Valley but her mother warned her against it because of the turbulent situation.
Unaware of the exact situation prevailing here, she had held discussions with some US citizens who had paid visit here after 1990. They had assured that no hurdle was caused by anyone and that they returned to their country safely. Cindy finally decided to visit Kashmir.
Cindy arrived in Kashmir on June 17, 1995 for trekking. She directly left for Kolhai Glacier in Pahalgam. On her return she had stayed for the night at Lidderwath when the abduction incident occurred at the same camp.
The gunmen, who abducted the tourists, searched her tent but behaved decently, Cindy had stated during her interaction.
“I do not know who exactly they were, but they handed over a chit to one of the female tourists in which they had claimed that they belong to Al-Faran group.”
Cindy has remarked that the abduction made her interested in Kashmir politics.
“Now, in my country I will study the Kashmir history, genesis of present problem and other related reports about the ongoing situation.”
She added in her interview that while she was shocked by the incident, it opened a new chapter in her life. “Before coming here, I was more interested in myself and least about other people. But during my short stay here, I came to know much about the local people and problems. They gave me enough love and affection which forced me to think about them. They are passing through a difficult time,” KT news report quoted her saying.
“Whatever is happening here hardly gets any attention from the outside world and people in other countries are not much aware of the Kashmir situation.”
The people, according to her, complained a lot about the atrocities of the security forces but there is no check on them. “It seems that government is not bothered about it and if this continues situation would run out of hands.”
Cindy was of the opinion that abductions were not solution to the problem and instead it may defame Kashmiri people at various levels.
She had complained that everybody in the world was looking towards US for the solution of their problems and everybody also blamed US for whatever wrong was happening in the world.
“Since tourism is main industry of the Valley so efforts should be made to promote it as it gives livelihood to lakhs of people dependent on it.”
Ending her conversation, Cindy has said she had no plans to visit Kashmir again in future, but said, “I will always remember people of Kashmir as good friends.” |
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