SRINAGAR (Kashmir English): The 35th anniversary of the Pattan tragedy, in which scores of Kashmiri civilians were killed or injured in firing by Indian security forces, was observed today in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
The tragedy occurred on August 1, 1990, in Pattan town in Baramulla district along the Baramulla-Srinagar highway, at a time when the Kashmir Valley was witnessing a widespread movement demanding the right to self-determination.
According to the eyewitnesses, Indian troops opened indiscriminate fire in a market after attributing a loud sound to a vehicle tyre bursting. The firing resulted in the deaths of 12 civilians, while more than 80 others were seriously injured.
Several residential houses were also reportedly set on fire during the incident, adding to the devastation suffered by residents.
The Pattan tragedy came amid heightened tensions across the Kashmir Valley in the summer of 1990, when the occupying Indian security forces militarized commercial centers and urban areas through strict laws such as the Armed Forces Special Powers Act.
Kashmiri accounts describe the incident as part of a broader pattern of violence and civilian suffering during that period, alongside other major incidents reported in Gawkadal, Hawal and Handwara.
By the summer of 1990, the entire Kashmir valley had become a comprehensive movement for the right to self-determination in accordance with the UN resolutions.
For the people of occupied Jammu and Kashmir, “Kashmir will become Pakistan” is not just a slogan, but a national resolve strengthened by the blood flowing on the Pattan highway.
