Occupied Heaven

The Story of Kashmir

It is 1993, and 18-year-old Hanzilah is visiting his family in Kashmir. There is a strong summer breeze fluttering through the lush emerald valleys of Kashmir and the Himalayan Mountains. The early dawn is approaching. It is the eerie calm before a withering horror. It begins; a bomb shatters Hanzilah’s village. The bombing is incessant and continuous. Little does he know, but his life has forever changed. When it ends, he finds only death, destruction, and his childhood love slowly dying from her injuries on a makeshift bed in a makeshift hospital. Another life gone before it began, in a place where that is so often the case. In grieving madness, he is forced to make a decision that will render his life forever changed. In a hasty decision, forged by anger, vengeance, and selfishness, Hanzilah succumbs to his basest emotions and joins a militant group along with his childhood friends. Their goal: to infiltrate Indian Kashmir and attack the military forces occupying his ancestral home.

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Gripping and moving tale of Kashmir

A story about young friends, war, love, and coming of age in the backdrop of the conflict over occupied Kashmir. Moving and an enjoyable heartfelt fictional account with real history elements.

Fantastic reader of a compelling story

Very illuminating, well-written story. The reader is excellent. Highly recommend this novel, which provides insight into the decades-long geopolitical struggle over Kashmir.