Ohio Fundraiser for Martyrs of Amarnath Sangharsh
- 11 September 2008
Cleveland, OH: On September 11, a fund raiser was held for the Martyrs of Amarnath Sangharsh.
The fund raiser was organized under the auspices of Indo-American Kashmir Forum (IAKF). Dr. Hira Fotedar made a presentation entitled “From Amarnath Yatra to Homeland for Kashmiri Hindus”. The attendees were the leaders of Hindu and Indian organizations in North East Ohio.
The presentation detailed the police brutality unleashed against Hindus in Jammu who were demanding land to facilitate the annual Amarnath Yatra. Two videos on the Amarnath issues were shown to make the point. The attendees took note of the success achieved by the Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti after two months of intense struggle in which unparalleled Unity was achieved by all sections of Hindu society in Jammu.
Dr. Fotedar also presented IAKF slide show describing the forced exodus of Kashmiri Hindus in early nineties due to Islamic terrorism in the Kashmir valley. He pointed out that Kashmiri Muslims having forced out 350,000 Kashmiri Hindus from their ancestral land with impunity, were now desecrating and destroying Hindu temples and religious institutions. If Hindus in Jammu had not reacted they would have succeeded in denying Hindus in India the ability to manage annual Amarnath yatra and look after the welfare of 500,000 pilgrims at an elevation of more than 12,000 ft.
A film by Shri Ashok Pandit “And the World Remained Silent” was also shown. A lively discussion followed which focused on the need and imperative of achieving a Homeland for Kashmiri Hindus as outlined in the demand for “Panun Kashmir”. Issues related to Hindu culture, tradition as well as India’s security needs inherent in this demand were also discussed.The attendees agreed to work together to achieve the goal of Homeland for Hindus in Kashmir Valley.
This meet was organized with active support of Mr. and Mrs Ramesh Mirakhur, Mr and Mrs. Siddharth Raina, Dr’s Chaman and Sheila Kashkari, Mr and Mrs. Satish Parikh, Ms. Vijay Emani and Mrs. Pat Fotedar.
