India: Whether Kashmiri militants target special forces military personnel and their families; whether Kashmiri militants pursue military personnel and their families from Jammu and Kashmir into Punjab; protection available (1991-2000)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 22 June 2000 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | IND34588.E |
| Reference | 4 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, India: Whether Kashmiri militants target special forces military personnel and their families; whether Kashmiri militants pursue military personnel and their families from Jammu and Kashmir into Punjab; protection available (1991-2000) , 22 June 2000, IND34588.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ad5f4c.html [accessed 3 November 2019] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
No reports describing attacks by Kashmiri militants specifically on Indian special forces military personnel or their families could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. However, the following information may be of interest.
On 6 March 2000 The Hindu reported there had been an upsurge in militant activity in Kashmir toward the end of 1999, and that a "new and dangerous trend was visible." Apparently "suicide squads" had begun to attack high-profile targets such as the special forces headquarters and the public relations office (ibid.). According to a 28 April 2000 report in India Abroad, more than 100 Indian army and paramilitary forces personnel had been killed in suicide attacks in Jammu and Kashmir in the previous several months. The report placed responsibility for the attacks on three militant groups active in Kashmir: the Lashkar-e-Taiba, Harkat-ul Mujahideen and Hizb-ul Mujahideen (ibid.).
Several reports indicate that some of the militants operating in Jammu and Kashmir are highly trained and equipped with sophisticated weapons, which allow them to specifically target security forces personnel (The Tribune 4 Jan. 2000; ibid. 5 Feb. 2000; The Herald Jan. 1998, 125-26). These attacks have taken the form of hit-and-run raids, ambushes and targeted killings of senior police and government officials (JIR Oct. 1997, 468; GOI Dec. 1994). One such attack was the 30 December 1999 storming of the police Special Operation Group (SOG) headquarters in Srinagar in which 14 police officers were killed (The Tribune 4 Jan. 2000). In some cases the militants are able to infiltrate military installations in "security" vehicles, dressed in police or army uniforms (ibid. 5 Feb. 2000).
Reports of Kashmiri militants targeting the families of security forces personnel, or pursuing them from Jammu and Kashmir to other parts of India, could not be found among the sources consulted.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
Government of India (GOI), Ministry of Home Affairs. December 1994. Profile of Terrorist Violence in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Herald [Karachi]. January 1998. Zaigham Khan. "Allah's Army."
The Hindu [Chennai]. 6 March 2000. "Disturbing Trend." (NEXIS)
India Abroad [New York]. 28 April 2000. Binoo Joshi. "Kashmir: Suicide Bomb Renews Security Concerns."
Jane's Intelligence Review (JIR) [Surrey, UK]. October 1997. Roger Howard. "Wrath of Islam: The HUA Analysed."
The Tribune [Chandigarh]. 5 February 2000. M.L. Kak. "How Mercenaries Operate."
_____. 4 January 2000. M.L. Kak. "Disturbing Signals on Security Front."
Additional Sources Consulted
1947-1997: The Kashmir Dispute at Fifty. 1997.
Amnesty International India country file.
Asian Survey [Berkeley].
Double Betrayal: Repression and Insurgency in Kashmir
The Herald [Karachi].
Human Rights Features [New Delhi].
Human Rights in Kashmir: Report of a Mission. (ICJ). 1995.
IRB databases.
Patterns of Global Terrorism 1999. April 2000.
Report on Jammu and Kashmir. (NHRC). 1994.
World News Connection (WNC).
Internet sites including:
Amnesty International.
The Daily Star [Dhaka].
Dawn [Karachi].
Emergency Response and Research Institute (ERRI).
Foreign Special Operations Forces [Ft. Leavenworth, Kan.].
Human Rights Watch (HRW).
International Policy Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT).
Kashmir Information Network.
Kim-Spy Intelligence and Counter-Intelligence.
Security and Political Risk Analysis (SAPRA) India.
Terrorism Research Centre.
The Tribune [Chandigarh].
