Kashmir: 4 tourists killed 28 injured in hotel grenade attack

-m2- · Jun 13th, 2004, 03:17

from the Times of India Sat June 12, '04

Srinagar: A lesser-known Islamic militant group, Al Nasereen, Saturday claimed responsibility for a grenade attack on a tourist hotel in restive Indian Kashmir in which four people were killed and 28 injured, police said.

A spokes man for the group claimed the attack in a telephone call to the local Current News Service agency, a police spokesman said.

The caller had said, "Indians have no justification in visiting a disputed area."

He also warned the group would carry out similar attacks, blaming tourists for "spreading obscenities".

Al Nasereen has in the past claimed responsibility for several attacks in the troubled region.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...how/735137.cms

from another article: the Hotel Purnima in Pahalgam was the target.

pooch · Jun 13th, 2004, 03:56

Funny it hasn't made it on Hindustan times yet. These ones did

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_822096,0008.htm

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/1...1,00050004.htm

volga_volga · Jun 13th, 2004, 04:21

pooch, i don't see anything funny here. rather opposite.

volga_volga · Jun 13th, 2004, 04:31

that hotel must be somewhere here (the centre of Pahalgam resort)

volga_volga · Jun 13th, 2004, 04:33

one more of Pahalgan:

volga_volga · Jun 13th, 2004, 04:40

volga_volga · Jun 13th, 2004, 04:49

"It is foolish to expect good news about Kashmir when I open the newspaper, but I hope against hope. Like any lover, I am always starved for a glimpse, even if it breaks my heart. I am always looking for the word KASHMIR in the news..."

and more:

"... the news from Kashmir differs from month to month, and sometimes it even looks as though a resolution is in sight. On every wound a crust of some sort must form, but it is not a guarantee of healing. There are intermittent reports of normalcy, the institutions are working, people have long, drawnout weddings when they can... Even the tourist trade is trying to edge back to life, each successive tentative season...

I think most of us carry on hoping for the best, or sometimes even the impossible, a resolution to everyone's satisfaction. We get a couple of weeks quiet. Then the next week there is news of anarchy in the city square or of tourists being kidnapped or killed and reality stares us again in the face with a horrifically superior grin.

The cycle repeats itself."

Sudha Koul

pooch · Jun 13th, 2004, 17:15

Indeed Volga, I was only trying to point out what did make it on HT's headlines when there were other things happening. You judged in haste what my intentions were

anyways on print HT is a great newspaper.

LuAnnandJawahar · Jun 13th, 2004, 20:23

? It DID make the Hindustan times-- online version anyway. Didn't see the print version. Maybe pooch just overlooked it?

Also, does V-V know that "funny" means "odd" in this context?

beach · Jun 13th, 2004, 21:23

Times of India has a special taste for the crimes reporting and they got the nick name Crimes of India.

-m2- · Jun 13th, 2004, 23:31

spooky, huh, Volga.

normally I wouldn't post a bare cut & paste article, but seems to me that this one is important, and the meaning obvious, as it notes a major change in tactics by an extremist group that has serious implications for those contemplating a visit to this beautiful, but troubled, area. As always, it is up to the individual to make his/her own risk assessments in planning their travels, and seeking out accurate information is important for making informed decisions.

I am a fan of GOOGLE News India as it has a pretty good summary of news stories originating or affecting India, and is continuously updated. here's the link for those who haven't checked it out yet:

http://news.google.com/news/en/in/main.html

m2

volga_volga · Jun 14th, 2004, 00:36

Sorry, guys, I was too emotional in my first reply. pooch, your irony was not appreciated; NIT, you were right, I (mis?)understood “funny” as “funny”. –m2-, thanks for the second post, and for the article from Calcutta press on the new terrorism tactics targeting tourism.

I don’t know what it is with me and Kashmir. Por Dios, mujer!! I took a day off for mourning. I tried to take my mind off it. To fight the urge to book a ticket to Delhi.

For the first time in a many, many months I wanted to pray - for things to get better. But I was confused, to which God I should be praying?

I guess I need some disaster of my own to take my mind off theirs’.

Anyway, what do you think about the Kashmiri Peace Festival (see other thread). I think these guys offer themselves as an easy target for terrorists, and a particularly interesting target, given the potential for the international exposure.

PS If you want to know what Pahalgam tea tastes like, get Lapsang Souchong which is very close, with its smoky taste.

and i updated my Missing Kashmir article.

Alan D · Jun 14th, 2004, 01:07

Posted by volga_volga

[/b] Anyway, what do you think about the Kashmiri Peace Festival (see other thread). I think these guys offer themselves as an easy target for terrorists, and a particularly interesting target, given the potential for the international exposure.[/quote]

I don't think the time is right, considering the recent terrorist attack in Palalgam, for holding a peace festival in Kashmir. If the terrorist groups active in Kashmir are linked to groups in other countries and it seems likely that they are, then this could be a dangerous situation for foreign tourists.

Reading the information on their website I see no warnings about the current situation in Kashmir. I think, at least, the organisers should have made people aware of this. Then they go there at their own risk.

I would like to know more about the organisers of this festival - is it a carefully planned business enterprise to boost tourism or are the people involved fairly innocent peaceniks?

AvidTrekker · Jun 14th, 2004, 01:34

Quote:

originally posted by volga_volga
For the first time in a many, many months I wanted to pray - for things to get better. But I was confused, to which God I should be praying?

God is only ONE. We humans have given him forms and names as per our limited/conditioned understanding. If you are more comfortable with some form having hands and legs and a head... try Buddha about whom you have studied so much. Or Ganesha... or ????

You could also pray to a formless Supreme Being. Just close your eyes. Concentrate on your heart Chakra. Pour out all your love towards whomsoever whatsoever you wish to be better. just say the words in your own language from your heart. Sincerity and an outpouring of LOVE will DIRECTLY reach God. God may also answer back.... but to listen to God's voice accurately requires a bit of practice ..... or some great previous karma !!!

volga_volga · Jun 15th, 2004, 16:42

Quote:

For the first time in a many, many months I wanted to pray - for things to get better. But I was confused, to which God I should be praying?

thanks AvidTrekker, but my question was rather a rhetoric one, i was wondering WHO was ruling the Valley - if anyone?

Jun 13th, 2004, 03:17	#1
-m2- . Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: . Posts: 1,575	Kashmir: 4 tourists killed 28 injured in hotel grenade attack from the Times of India Sat June 12, '04 Srinagar: A lesser-known Islamic militant group, Al Nasereen, Saturday claimed responsibility for a grenade attack on a tourist hotel in restive Indian Kashmir in which four people were killed and 28 injured, police said. A spokes man for the group claimed the attack in a telephone call to the local Current News Service agency, a police spokesman said. The caller had said, "Indians have no justification in visiting a disputed area." He also warned the group would carry out similar attacks, blaming tourists for "spreading obscenities". Al Nasereen has in the past claimed responsibility for several attacks in the troubled region. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...how/735137.cms from another article: the Hotel Purnima in Pahalgam was the target.

Jun 13th, 2004, 04:31	#4
volga_volga Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 1,453	that hotel must be somewhere here (the centre of Pahalgam resort) Attached Thumbnails

Jun 13th, 2004, 04:33	#5
volga_volga Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 1,453	Paradise lost one more of Pahalgan: Attached Thumbnails

Jun 13th, 2004, 04:40	#6
volga_volga Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 1,453	a ticket to Srinagar ? Attached Thumbnails

Jun 13th, 2004, 04:49	#7
volga_volga Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 1,453	from The Tiger Ladies: A Memoir of Kashmir "It is foolish to expect good news about Kashmir when I open the newspaper, but I hope against hope. Like any lover, I am always starved for a glimpse, even if it breaks my heart. I am always looking for the word KASHMIR in the news..." and more: "... the news from Kashmir differs from month to month, and sometimes it even looks as though a resolution is in sight. On every wound a crust of some sort must form, but it is not a guarantee of healing. There are intermittent reports of normalcy, the institutions are working, people have long, drawnout weddings when they can... Even the tourist trade is trying to edge back to life, each successive tentative season... I think most of us carry on hoping for the best, or sometimes even the impossible, a resolution to everyone's satisfaction. We get a couple of weeks quiet. Then the next week there is news of anarchy in the city square or of tourists being kidnapped or killed and reality stares us again in the face with a horrifically superior grin. The cycle repeats itself." Sudha Koul

Jun 13th, 2004, 03:56	#2
pooch Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Middle East <---->India Posts: 384	Funny it hasn't made it on Hindustan times yet. These ones did http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_822096,0008.htm http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/1...1,00050004.htm

Jun 13th, 2004, 04:21	#3
volga_volga Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 1,453	pooch, i don't see anything funny here. rather opposite.

Jun 13th, 2004, 17:15	#8
pooch Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Middle East <---->India Posts: 384	Indeed Volga, I was only trying to point out what did make it on HT's headlines when there were other things happening. You judged in haste what my intentions were anyways on print HT is a great newspaper.

Jun 13th, 2004, 20:23	#9
LuAnnandJawahar Maha Guru Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Delhi/U.S. Posts: 663	? It DID make the Hindustan times-- online version anyway. Didn't see the print version. Maybe pooch just overlooked it? Also, does V-V know that "funny" means "odd" in this context? __________________ Reject violence.

Jun 13th, 2004, 21:23	#10
beach Lost in translation Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: India ! Posts: 2,233	Times of India has a special taste for the crimes reporting and they got the nick name Crimes of India.

Jun 13th, 2004, 23:31	#11
-m2- . Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: . Posts: 1,575	spooky, huh, Volga. normally I wouldn't post a bare cut & paste article, but seems to me that this one is important, and the meaning obvious, as it notes a major change in tactics by an extremist group that has serious implications for those contemplating a visit to this beautiful, but troubled, area. As always, it is up to the individual to make his/her own risk assessments in planning their travels, and seeking out accurate information is important for making informed decisions. I am a fan of GOOGLE News India as it has a pretty good summary of news stories originating or affecting India, and is continuously updated. here's the link for those who haven't checked it out yet: http://news.google.com/news/en/in/main.html m2

Jun 14th, 2004, 00:36	#12
volga_volga Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 1,453	Sorry, guys, I was too emotional in my first reply. pooch, your irony was not appreciated; NIT, you were right, I (mis?)understood “funny” as “funny”. –m2-, thanks for the second post, and for the article from Calcutta press on the new terrorism tactics targeting tourism. I don’t know what it is with me and Kashmir. Por Dios, mujer!! I took a day off for mourning. I tried to take my mind off it. To fight the urge to book a ticket to Delhi. For the first time in a many, many months I wanted to pray - for things to get better. But I was confused, to which God I should be praying? I guess I need some disaster of my own to take my mind off theirs’. Anyway, what do you think about the Kashmiri Peace Festival (see other thread). I think these guys offer themselves as an easy target for terrorists, and a particularly interesting target, given the potential for the international exposure. PS If you want to know what Pahalgam tea tastes like, get Lapsang Souchong which is very close, with its smoky taste. and i updated my Missing Kashmir article.

Jun 14th, 2004, 01:07	#13
Alan D Maha Guru Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Southampton UK Posts: 1,866	Posted by volga_volga [/b] Anyway, what do you think about the Kashmiri Peace Festival (see other thread). I think these guys offer themselves as an easy target for terrorists, and a particularly interesting target, given the potential for the international exposure.[/quote] I don't think the time is right, considering the recent terrorist attack in Palalgam, for holding a peace festival in Kashmir. If the terrorist groups active in Kashmir are linked to groups in other countries and it seems likely that they are, then this could be a dangerous situation for foreign tourists. Reading the information on their website I see no warnings about the current situation in Kashmir. I think, at least, the organisers should have made people aware of this. Then they go there at their own risk. I would like to know more about the organisers of this festival - is it a carefully planned business enterprise to boost tourism or are the people involved fairly innocent peaceniks? Last edited by Alan D : Jun 14th, 2004 at 02:02.

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