Pilgrim attack kills 8

(6 Aug 2002) VOICED BY VERA FRANKL



00:00 Police at scene at Pahalgam
00:04 Blood stain on ground
00:08 Body of victim in tent
00:12 Wide of police at scene
00:15 Wide of Pahalgam camp
00:18 Mid shot Armanath shrine
00:21 Close up of icon at Armanath
00:24 Worshippers at Armanath shrine
00:29 Various injured on stretchers in Srinagar
00:37 Hospital ward with victims in Srinagar
00:41 Doctor examining victim
00:44 Various police and soldiers at scene of attack
01:01 SOUNDBITE: Farooq Abdullah, Chief Minister, Jammu-Kashmir state:
"There are always elaborate security arrangements everywhere. But always remember, fidayeen, (suicide bomber) he has an edge anytime, anywhere. He chooses a place, he is able to get through and he does these things and you have seen the effect of it. With all the force that we have, he has been able to sneak through."
01:27 Various of pilgrims
01:45 Mid shot Armanath shrine
01:49 Pilgrims arrive at Armanath shrine
01:55 Various soldiers
02:05 Ends

STORYLINE:

A terrorist attack in Kashmir on Tuesday raised new fears of hostilities between India and Pakistan, after suspected Islamic militants killed nine Hindus on a Himalayan pilgrimage.

The assailants also wounded 27 pilgrims,

It's the latest in a series of attacks in the region which India has blamed on Muslim separatists working from across the border in Pakistan.

Pakistan has denied any involvment in the incident.

00:02
Violence flared in Indian Kashmir on Tuesday as suspected Islamic militants opened fire on Hindu pilgrims killing nine and wounding many more.

00:12
The attackers struck at a mountain camp where pilgrims were preparing to trek to one of Hinduism's holiest shrines.

00:18
It houses an icy stalagmite worshipped as an incarnation of the Hindu god Shiva and attracts thousands of devotees every year.

00:29
27 pilgrims were injured in the attack, fifteen of them were taken to hospital in nearby Srinagar, the state's summer capital.

00:37
No specific threat had been received by police, but tension has been high recently in the long disputed region.

Police said they suspect the attack was staged by Islamic guerrillas fighting for Kashmir's independence from India or merger with Pakistan.

Indian government forces are on high alert in the region but have difficulty countering the guerrilla tactics of the militants.

01:01
SOUNDBITE: (English) Farooq Abdullah, Chief Minister, Jammu-Kashmir state:
"There are always elaborate security arrangements everywhere. But always remember, fidayeen, (suicide bomber) he has an edge anytime, anywhere. He chooses a place, he is able to get through and he does these things and you have seen the effect of it. With all the force that we have, he has been able to sneak through."

01:27
Muslim separatists would like to see independence for the largely Islamic state which has been part of India since partition in 1947.

01:36
But New Delhi is strongly opposed to any move towards autonomy and has blamed Pakistan for failing to prevent a series similar attacks over recent months.

Pakistan condemned the attack on Tuesday but its words will do nothing to lessen tension over the region which brought the Asian neighbours close to war earlier this year

01:55
And with both countries fiercely proud of their nuclear capabilities all out conflict between them remains a very real possibility.

02:05 Ends

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