In a 29 April 2004 letter to Indian Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the IFJ expressed deep concern over the death of freelance journalist Asiya Jeelani and the injuring of Khurram Parvez and Kumar Bharti.
On 20 April, Asiya Jeelani, a freelance journalist, was killed in a mine explosion in India-controlled Kashmir, while working with the Coalition of Civil society to prepare a report on its election monitoring activities.
A detonated explosive device on a rural road in Northern Kashmir killed both Jeelani and the driver of the van. Jeelani died on route to hospital. Parvez and Bharti, the two monitors also traveling in the van, are being treated in Srinagar hospital for injuries sustained in the explosion.
The coalition has since stopped all monitoring activities, due to potential danger.
The explosion was followed by a separate incident in Khulgam, Southern Kashmir. According to reports, on 25 April, a grenade was thrown by militants at Mehbooba Mufti, People's Democratic Party (PDP) president. It exploded near a vehicle transporting Sheikh Tariq, a cameraperson with New Delhi Television (NDTV), and his diver, Mohammad Ismail. Both Ismail and Tariq were injured in the explosion.
The IFJ is deeply saddened by the above events and calls on the central government of India to seek a peaceful solution to the dispute over Kashmir, to ensure that innocent civilians, such as the journalists involved in the above incidents, are not caught in the cross-fire.
