Kashmir on a knife edge once again Indian troops martyr 33 innocent Kashmiris

In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops, in their continued acts of state terrorism, martyred 33 innocent Kashmiris including four teenaged boys in the last month of June.

According to the data, compiled by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service, 228 civilians including Hurriyet leaders and activists were arrested and 572 people were critically injured when the police and paramilitary forces used brute force, fired bullets and teargas shells against peaceful demonstrators in the occupied territory. Eight women were disgraced by the troops, two were widowed and four children were orphaned.

Similarly, sixteen residential houses were damaged by the troops with heavy firing and shelling during violent siege and search operations during the month.


Violence Update

Total Killings * 93,274
Custodial Killings 6,969
Civilians Arrested 117,345
Structures Arsoned/Destroyed 105,861
Women Widowed 22,728
Children Orphaned 107,351
Women gang-raped / Molested 9,920

In the Indian occupied Kashmir human rights violations by Indian occupation forces is a routine matter. No day passes calmly. Cries, protests and demonstrations by the affected and sufferers are daily news. That is why media both print and electronic gives more attention, space and prominence to these happenings daily.

On the one side Indian establishment and its state administration claims peace restoring but on the other side situation deteriorates given the rise in violations by its forces. The false rhetoric in this regard is for face saving and carries no weight.
Despite the repeated assurances of no human rights violations made by the young Chief Minister Omer Abdullah yet another woman at tral in district pulwama was molested by forces personnel. This shameful incident deepened the wounds of Kashmiri people who are yet to revive from the tragedy of gang rape and ruthless murder of our two daughters's neelofer and asiya in Shopian by Indian forces. On the same day a 12th class student namely Sajad Ahmad Lone S/o Ghulam Mohammad Lone Resident of Kralgund Handwara in District Kupwara was arrested early morning while he was coming to his home after morning prayers in the local mosque, by the troopers of 32 Rashtriya rifles stationed in Kralgund and was subsequently tortured and done to death by pumping bullets. In reaction of this gruesome murder when the youth in Srinagar took to streets peacefully, police fired in air, burst smoke shells and also resorted to heavy lathi charge to disperse them. This action of the police injured more than twenty five youth including a minor student of sixth standard Arif Ahmad Bhat S/O Javaid Ahmad Bhat R/O Seshyar Habba Kadal district Srinagar whose condition continues to be critical in the intensive care ward of Srinagar Medical Institute Soura.
Kashmir is such a place in the world where expression of resentment through civilized manner (which is the mindset of Kashmiri people) is curbed and killed by force. During the last fourteen months at least seventy Kashmiri youth were killed due to indiscriminate firing on the peaceful processions. These shameful acts unveil the terrible face of Indian democracy.
This case of custodial torture and killing again exposed occupation forces of India as oppressors, meant for bleeding the humanity in Kashmir, on the Black dictates of Delhi. Delhi as a matter of policy has directed its forces in Kashmir, to act beastly against the people of Kashmir and teach them the lesson, so that they are forced to abandon their movement for freedom from India. Bearing this oppression of Delhi through its forces since decades and more ruthlessly from last two decades Kashmiri's are determined to continue their struggle for freedom.
These Indian occupation forces with criminal instincts and armed with Black Draconian laws like Disturbed Area Act, Armed Forces Special Powers Act have so far martyred more than one lakh Kashmiri natives regardless of age and gender and have indulged in heinous crimes like rapes, molestations, torture exercises, blasting human beings, burning and blasting chattels and business establishments; loot and plunder and deforestation. Every nook and corner of the territory is witness to their insanity and impunity from law. Whatever the damage Indian occupation forces and its State abettors inflict here is expected because they are promised cash and promotions for this. Kashmiri people cannot even think of human treatment and civilized behavior from them. This so called disciplined force has turned to moral corruption on the choice of their Delhi high command. Before leaving for mission oppression in Kashmir they are taught the lessons of immorality, indiscipline, vulgarity and insanity and are commanded to demonstrate all this in Kashmir to crush Kashmiri people. It is what they are doing here to silence the popular voice of inherent Right to Freedom.
Inspite of tall claims of zero tolerance on Human Rights Violations, the unfortunate happenings like custodial killings, custodial disappearances, fake encounters, rapes, molestations, torturous methods, arrests, detentions cannot end in the presence of huge military. These daily occurrences can be curbed in case the territory is demilitarized. For that purpose just solution (freedom) of Kashmir dispute through tripartite dialogue is must. So instead of sticking to the demand of demilitarization Kashmiri people need to stress for emancipation from politico-territorial subjugation (reason of all ills). Military concentration, presence of Black Draconian Laws, Human Rights violations of all forms by the State, are the causes rooted in subjugation. End to subjugation will end all this. So our priority attempts should be centric to attaining this objective because we actually as a matter of policy stand for it. We have been perpetually struggling and sacrificing hugely since decades for achieving this objective. Emancipation will itself lead to demilitarization, repeal of Black Draconian Laws and release of prisoners.
A word of caution to those trying to compromise on the principled stand, don't under estimate the popular sentiment (embedded deep) and will of the people. Such type of intention or action is intolerable. This movement for freedom is being cherished by red hot blood, chastity of our women folk, peeled skin of our jail birds, pain anguish and destitution of orphans and widows, sighs and cries of mothers, daughters and sisters. No one should take them for granted.

Kashmir

Srinagar

Omar Abdullah

New Delhi

Chidambaram

Anantnag

Challenges To The Muslim Women in Kashmir

Inshah Malik

Conflict complicates lives, reverence is due, to all the peace keepers and humanity and Justice Upholders who when fought did so with some objectivity. The prophet of Islam made special references to populations such as women, old aged and the children during a calamity such as war. The special instructions were given to the fighters to be sure they protect such people and maintain dignity of the war for a just cause. In today’s world these populations are referred to as the civilians. In Modern day war civilians are the worst sufferers of the strife during the conflicts (Bhutalia, 2002) and ofcourse women particularly bear the brunt of been caught between the warring parties. In Kashmir the conflict has become stinging and protracted. The resolution process is the most cumbersome and involvement of so many stakeholders has made it nearly impossible to see a solution soon. This ongoing conflict from the feminist lenses actually seizes to be a war for women, the idea of Azadi has always been a hijacked masculine concept. Women have definitely participated in the uproar but when it comes to construction of an enemy, women in Kashmir are perceived as a property of the enemy by the Masculine Indian security forces. The security forces are to the dismay and disadvantage of the Muslim women in Kashmir which is quite an established fact by now. It raises considerable questions about the roles of a Nationalist army, which has ethnic dimensions also. Hindu masculine army versus Muslim women, disclosed is the hate spewed by the so called security forces during their search corden and stringent operation in North Kashmir’s Kupwara district. Indian army is also the part of the universal hate against Muslims across the world. Now it looks irrefutable at this juncture.

The incidence of sexual violence against the women by the army is widespread and enrages the men in the community including the militants (those who fight against the Indian occupation). However rape was something unheard of before the inception of militarization it makes women stigmatized. This stigma within the family and also within the society challenges the patriarchal roles of a protector of the man within the family and such challenges culminate into violence against women within the family. Conflict has also challenged the traditional roles of women and has not socialized them into their new roles.

The rise in domestic violence is also seen as the repercussion of the extended political failure in conflict areas (Scanlon, 2008). The conflict has two important long term implications on the women who suffer violence from either contestant groups of the conflict, one is on their health and the other is on the economic status of the family. Sexual violence against the women ruptures their ties with their immediate family, mostly the men. Men struggle to support the family during turbulent conditions at the work place, and leads to violent confrontations at home. Women in Kashmir after surviving sexual violence lead a stigmatized life which further affects their societal positioning and which affects their men leading to further violence at home. There are two essential ways in which the relationships are affected. The condition generated by the on-going conflict push men to get stricter with the mobility of their women.

Women during an armed struggle always remain a second priority for the militants. In Muslim societies it has been seen such as in Afghanistan where women’s rights have always been denied and even curbed till the objective of the struggle is achieved (Khattak, 1998). Women in Kashmir witnessed checks on their mobility from the militants, stringent dictum like pardah are imposed so as to protect them. These dictums were enforced by the militants to safeguard women from the Indian army who frequently raped them. While (Khattak, 1998) calls such practices as the manifestation of patriarchy and the mobility of women is also curbed to protect larger nationalist or ethnic interests. Women have reported this phenomenon in various ways and the study reveals that the women suffer doubly not just from the army but also from the armed strugglers.

Sexual violence against the women further fracture emotional relationship that women share with their men. In the turbulent times in order to support their family men go out, it is intricate outside the house they leave behind their women and are always worried about they are worried of their protection all the time. This chaotic situation leads men to vent out their irritation against the women and they operate various kinds of control on their women which may lead to further violence. The patriarchal role of a man as a protector is severely challenged. The conflict began and is apparent in the village life in Kashmir; army has entered their domestic life in huge numbers affecting women who usually in a traditional Kashmiri society stay at home. Men also have to confront direct violence while they move out of their home for the purpose of livelihood. In this confused state when men are dealing with two different challenges they are reminded of the moral obligations that they have towards their women who they perceive to be in danger, this leads men to inflict stricter laws of security around women, especially around the issues of her mobility. The dictums such as veil or Burkha are often issued under these circumstances. Hence the challenging of the patriarchal roles which is the repercussion of their outside influences starts showing on the women in terms of physical abuse or mental harassment. In such conditions when women face unacceptability both from family and society, even the family members affiliated to militant movement may abhor such women. In case of women who have lost their son’s, their complicated health demands treatment and hence economic support which the dependent women feel deprived of after the loss of the son. They always feel that loosing their sons has complicated their life. The son who could have taken care of the mother, his death impacts the mental health of the women. It can lead to turbulent family relations as the family might not know how the women should be kept or consoled. Women reported various mental and physical ailments and side by side how it was further influenced by the economic condition of the household. Muslim women in Kashmir are silently playing their roles without being sufficiently trained as to how to deal with the complicated situations outside. It is these silent deaths that they are living and in reaction to that government is ready to send more and more army as and when required to fight a war against its own people and the biggest demon of security threat from Pakistan that seems to be satisfying the ego of the larger government system.

Inshah Malik is a PhD scholar at the Tata Institute of social sciences, Mumbai, India. Email: Inshah.malik@tiss.edu

Kashmiri society Islam Mumbai, India Kashmir