NEW DEHLI: Nearly 40,000 people have been killed in violence that has erupted over Indian-held Kashmir more than two decades ago, the national parliament was told on Wednesday.
Junior home minister Jitendra Prasad said 39,918 had died including 21,323 "terrorists" – the word used by India to describe insurgents battling New Delhi's rule in the disputed region.
"As per reports, 13,226 civilians and 5,369 security force personnel have been killed in terrorist violence in Jammu and Kashmir during the period from year 1990 to April 2011," the minister told parliament.
The figure is lower than the official police count in Indian Kashmir of more than 47,000 dead.
Some rights groups in Kashmir say the toll could be close to 100,000 from the revolt which began in late 1989.
Violence has sharply declined in the Himalayan region since India and Pakistan started a peace process in 2004.
The statement in parliament came after three policemen and an army officer were arrested in Kashmir following a probe into the death of a man in custody and an allegedly faked gunbattle last month.
Kashmir, a picturesque region in the Himalayan foothills, has been a flashpoint between India and Pakistan since partition of the subcontinent in 1947 at independence from Britain.
The nuclear-armed neighbours have fought two of their three wars over control of Kashmir.
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Please can we have, Names,Addresses,ID numbers of these 40,000 people. So that we can verify the exact no for certainty.In another newspaper(Pakistani) today I read the figure is 70,000.In Indian newspapers the figure varies anywhere between 30,000 and 90,000. This random throwing of number of deaths at the drop of a hat is sickening.
@kam:
Why on Earth should I talk Kashmir with you? Do you go to every Chinese and talk Xinjiang with them? Why dont I see anyone from Pakistan talking about the brutalities in Xinjiang and conveniently ignore the issue altogether?
Like Kashmir, according to you at least, Uighur Muslims are driven out of their own homes by the Han Chinese, have been fired upon reported by your own media. Xinjiang is right next to Pakistan, just like the Kashmir. Just because Chinese Government gives you money, you have sold out, dont talk about Xinjiang. India atleast is open, you can even go and meet the people who oppose India and everything it stands for, click photos with them and openly offer support and the beauty of India is its Constitution stops the Government from finishing the Separatists off. China wouldn't hesitate a moment to kill them off.
So, I ask you again, why should I talk about a set of people considered to be citizens of the Republic of India? Who are you? Do you go and ask a Chinese to come and talk about Xinjiang? India, being the soft power that it is, doesn't know how to say no and it is a good thing.
India is following the right path and even Kashmiris cant help but be part of that growth story. I dont have to talk about Pakistan, you know well how it is faring among the comity of nations.
@Ahmer Ali: Ahmer bhai, the difference is not everybody killed in Kashmir are by Indian army, most of them have died due to militancy in region. So common problem is terrorism and unfortunately origins of terrorists in both case, taliban and kashmiri separatists is our beloved Pakistan. even the world's most wanted leaders like OBL and recently the Bali bomber was found in our backyard. It has become habit of every terrorist to safely hide in our country. And yes the modern and advanced world have noticed this and hence they are more and more distancing themselves from us. We are the only ones who believe in lies spread by our mullah and self styled intelligence specialist like Hamid saheb. its high time we need to introspect our role in regional extremism.
Most of these people who have died are victims of terror from Pakistan or terrorists themselves. Number of innocents who died due to Indian army's atrocities (which are admittedly there) are less.
But of course, Pakistanis will not believe this, just like they won't believe that Pakistan provoked all four wars and emerged on the losing side. It's a combined effect of text books and Zaid Hamids.
Assalam-o-Allaikum Warahmatullah.Now the modern and advanced world must see and compare these figures with Taliban that either Taliban are terrorists and killed more innocent 40000 people like India or India is the most dangerous terrorist of the world which killed innocent 40000 people.
Important thing to note in the above news items is, 21,323 Pakistani terrorists were killed. Good job Indian army.
@Bangash: Are you keeping the tab? And how?
40K only? One of the biggest lies ever!!!!
but at the end of the day india is innocent..lool
@kam: I agree with you dude. You said right about not speaking about punjab, naga land, Gujarat and Orissa. Cause these are not troubled states as you may wish. While Balochistan is a troubled state. The UN Human Rights and your recent article in dawn estimates the official figure of people killed in Baloch close to 87 thousand. I bet you conveniently ignored that report. Well dont care the number is right or wrong. It is absolutely sick idea people loose focus on human suffering and start finger pointing and playing games like "I am better of then you". Fact remains people are dying. And is also a fact that Kashmiri dies in hands of both terrorists and military. Stop supporting terrorists, India should remove military and surely the normalcy will return. So for plight of Kashmiris quite many Pakistani elements and security establishment is equally culpable as Indian military. Stop using the excuse of moral support. Moral support does not come with providing arms and training them to blow themselves for a misguided vision. Seriously, when your most powerful army in universe could not win Pakistan by lawful rules of engagement a.k.a war, you guys started sending terrorists to wage your war just in unofficial manner. However you would like to call it , but this act is a text book example of terrorism. So if you really wish good for Kashmiris, stop supporting them "morally" and really do something which makes sense for them. By the way please note that you did not even cared about kashmiris in Pakistan Kashmir. They have been quite systematically replaced by non kashmiris. So what are the exact "good" reason Pakistan is supporting Kashmir for ? For Kashmiris ? Yeah right!
Jammu and Kashmir , has been most peaceful of all Indian states in 2011. Only couple hundred ( terrorists, civilians, security forces ) dead from violence and all time record inflow of tourists into J&K this year.
Usually the figure quoted is around 80,000
@BruteForce: yup we will take care of the citizen by killing them first and then listening to the issues. These are news and facts and try to resolve this issue first and rather than hide it under the rug by showing other fires in the region. Lets talk about Kashmir issue not about Baluchistan, Palestine, Punjab, Naga land, Gujrat riots, Orissa or Chechniya and other turmoils in the region.
@Paras Vikmani: what about it ? Please acknowledge if there is problem in india and stop diverting the issues by throwing this under the rug. So when the topic is Baluchistan we should say what about Kashmir.
@Bangash: This news is about Indian Kashmir. Not able understand why Pakistanis also commenting on this forum? You don't have any rights to comment on this till stopping killing of innocent Mohajirs at Karachi..
@TANOLI: Wrong. :)
@ Rock and others what we gonna this hundu terrorism or stat terror or some thing else and why amnesty i called em nesty dont say any thing and u.n.o dont do or why not send some international forced to kashmir it might be muslim who care right.
Indian govt has low-balled figures of Kashmiri dead. The real toll is much higher and we must remember 63 years of Indian oppression of the poor Kashmiris.
What about Balochistan?
the most favorite news items which gives maximum comments is kashmir. I still need further classification of deaths like non mulsim kashmiri, muslim kashmiri, non kashmiri indians, foreign tourist, etc.