To

The Prime Minister of India

We, the Non-Resident Indians, who remain firmly committed to the honor and dignity of BHARAT, our motherland, are outraged by the inept and weak handling of the unabashed terrorism and violence in Jammu and Kashmir.

We are distressed at the continuing terrorist and fundamentalist campaign in the state of Jammu & Kashmir, causing the true inheritors of the land to leave from their homeland and seek shelter in remote corners of India, and even beyond the borders of India, elsewhere in the world.

The distress felt is accentuated by the fact that India today is economically, technologically, militarily, culturally superior to Pakistan, which is economically, and morally bankrupt and facing acute internal centrifugal problems to address which alone it has unleashed terrorism on us.

The "NRI’s ANTI TERRORISM, FIRM HANDLING PETITION" to the Prime Minister of India strongly appeals to the Prime Minister of India to deal with the situation that is becoming of a great and strong nation. We appeal that the Government takes decisive and immediate steps drive terrorism out of Jammu and Kashmir, secure safe homeland for the Kashmiri Hindus, and complete the comprehensive integration of the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir, inclusive of PoK, in the Union of India.

On behalf of the petitioners, this ATFH petition is being simultaneously released and delivered to the Prime Minister of India in New Delhi, and also routed through the Indian Embassies in Nepal, Singapore, Italy and USA.

1.	NRIs from Canada, Cyprus, Italy, Nepal, Nigeria, Singapore and U.S.A.,
2.	Asia Pacific Kashmiri Pandit Forum Apt Blk 518 Pasir Ris Street 52, #05-37 - Singapore-510518 Vir Ji Saraf ( President ) apkpf@hotmail.com
3.	Bharat Awareness Forum 1765 Lazy River Lane, Atlanta, GA, 30350 - USA Dhiru Shah, Basant Tariyal, Pranawa C.Deshmukh, Subash Razdan, Ram Sidhaye bharat_awareness_forum_baf@hotmail.com // baforum@aol.com
4.	Panun Kashmir Movement (Overseas) 48-50, Suite .# 5F 6 Jean Road L.I.C. NY-11101. U.S.A. Sunil Bali ( Co-ordinator, PKM Overseas), pk_movement@hotmail.com
5.	Panun Kashmir (USA) 38th Street, Mansfield, MA 02048-3325, U.S.A. Lalit Koul ( Co-ordinator, Panun Kashmir -USA), panunkashmir@usa.net
6.	Global Kashmiri Pandit Human Rights Forum P.O. Box. 7211. Jyatha, Kathmandu, Nepal. Manmohan Khar (Secretary) gkphrf@yahoo.com

"NRI’s Anti-Terrorism, Firm Handling" Petition

August 22, 2000

To:

Honorable Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee-ji,

The Prime Minister of India,

New Delhi

We, the Non Resident Indians spread across the world have been keenly watching the situation as it has been unfolding in the state of Jammu & Kashmir. We are very much shocked and outraged at the large-scale killing of civilians and Amarnath yatris in Jammu & Kashmir and the unabated attacks on the Indian Armed Forces. We have been viewing with dismay and consternation, the conflicting, inconsistent, ineffective and largely reactive responses from New Delhi against these challenges to the National Security.

Pakistan, in tandem with the indigenous vested interests has been sponsoring and fomenting endless violence, instability, subversion, terrorism and fundamentalist indoctrination in its attempts to force the state of Jammu & Kashmir to secede from the Union of India. This has resulted in the loss of lives of thousands of innocent civilians, rendered hundreds of thousands of people refugees in their own country and destruction of billions of Rupees worth of property and infrastructure.

At this crucial moment in the history, India needs to stand up against terrorism, blackmail, violence and fundamentalism. And as a nation should resist, thwart, punish and defeat all such forces, which are out to undermine the integrity and unity of the nation. Every self-respecting country has a sovereign right to defend her own people and territory against terrorism and a bounden duty to take action against those who champion violence, terrorism and Jihad. India should make her own choices, independent of pressures and stop worrying about the repercussions. No country will help or respect another country that is unable to defend herself.

We would also like to remind that the Prime Minister of India, as the leader of one billion people and the Government of India are bound and committed by a Parliamentary Resolution of 1994 to liberate Pakistan occupied Kashmir from the illegal occupation of Pakistan. The Government of India should formulate a concrete plan to accomplish this mission which we would welcome and strongly support. The lack of clear, strong and effective policy on Kashmir issue has so far cost India very dearly. India has been on the receiving end because of its susceptibility and vulnerability bordering on gullibility when it comes to negotiations as demonstrated in the past.

Hon'ble Prime Minister, we want to express our anguish and pain for the untold miseries and sufferings perpetuated against the indigenous Kashmiri Hindu minority in Kashmir. This community has been hounded out and completely uprooted from Kashmir by fanatic terrorists. Instead of providing relief to this unique Hindu community, the state and the central Governments have chosen to turn a blind eye to their woes. The Government of India needs to acknowledge that serious Human Rights violations amounting to genocide have taken place against them and should urgently take measures to redress their problems. We also would like to remind that there can be no lasting peace unless and until all the sections of the people in Jammu & Kashmir including the Kashmiri Hindus are taken into confidence and measures formulated to accommodate their aspirations within the framework of the Constitution of India.

Hon'ble Prime Minister, we therefore urge for positive, firm, strong and effective steps to demonstrate that the Government of India means business. This would also be a befitting reply to the notion that the incumbent Government in New Delhi has, by its acts of surrender and soft pedaling of terrorism, converted India into a "Soft State". It is also important that severe and punitive action is taken against terrorists, their harbourers and their sponsors across the border and the fight be taken into their territory. This should be matched by a very consistent, well planned, strong, effective and a long term Kashmir policy on the home front. The Kashmir conflict is not about religion - it is about freedom of religion. It is a battle between a religious tyranny and a secular democracy.

We believe that since Jammu & Kashmir is a part of the Indian Union by the Independence Act of 1947 and the Instrument of Accession, the UN has no locus standing in the matters pertaining to Jammu & Kashmir. It has suffered aggression by Pakistan since 1947 and Pakistan should be treated as an aggressor.

While as we, the community of Non Resident Indians is trying our best to set the record straight and expose the nefarious designs of Pakistan, we appeal for caution in dealing with Pakistan and its Chief Executive. As India is committed to defeat terrorism, a meeting with the Military ruler of a country which has been trying to undermine the unity and integrity of the Indian nation by terrorist activities would be a step backwards, to reason with terrorists is to encourage them. And, even if that meeting has to take place, the UN is not an appropriate place. Meeting with General Musharraf at the UN would be tantamount to acknowledging the role of the UN in the Jammu & Kashmir imbroglio and would open the flood gates of International intervention. And it would, in a way legitimize the Jihad strategy of Pakistan.

Therefore, we strongly appeal and urge that any negotiations to be held with Pakistan should be within a set of very clear and well-defined parameters. We would like your goodself, as the leader of all the people of the Indian nation and the head of the Government of India to affirm and assure that: -

1. There would be no more territorial concessions.

2. The only unfinished business should be to reclaim and retake Pakistan occupied Kashmir.

3. There would be no talks with Pakistan unless and until it stops cross border terrorism and violence, failing which India would take strong, punitive and effective measures in destroying terrorist bases inside and across the Line of Control.

This would lay the foundations for a strong, vibrant, confident, and prosperous India.

Signatories :

1.	NRIs from Canada, Cyprus, Italy, Nepal, Nigeria, Singapore and U.S.A.,
2.	Asia Pacific Kashmiri Pandit Forum Apt Blk 518 Pasir Ris Street 52, #05-37 - Singapore-510518 Vir Ji Saraf ( President ) apkpf@hotmail.com
3.	Bharat Awareness Forum 1765 Lazy River Lane, Atlanta, GA, 30350 - USA Dhiru Shah, Basant Tariyal, Pranawa C.Deshmukh, Subash Razdan, Ram Sidhaye bharat_awareness_forum_baf@hotmail.com // baforum@aol.com
4.	Panun Kashmir Movement (Overseas) 48-50, Suite .# 5F 6 Jean Road L.I.C. NY-11101. U.S.A. Sunil Bali ( Co-ordinator, PKM Overseas), pk_movement@hotmail.com
5.	Panun Kashmir (USA) 38th Street, Mansfield, MA 02048-3325, U.S.A. Lalit Koul ( Co-ordinator, Panun Kashmir -USA), panunkashmir@usa.net
6.	Global Kashmiri Pandit Human Rights Forum P.O. Box. 7211. Jyatha, Kathmandu, Nepal. Manmohan Khar (Secretary) gkphrf@yahoo.com

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