Let the Kashmiri Women Live

Let’s stand in their shoes. How does it feel to stay away from home, in a place where there is a miserable story behind every face? A land of misery where humans breathe but do not live their lives; voices are suppressed by mocking humanity, and children grow up under the shadow of fear. A land where daring freedom fighters are terrorists, helpless women are subjects of sexual exploitation and innocent youngsters are a threat. A land, where extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, sexual assaults against women, and harassment of students, are part of the routine. No matter how you feel you are forced to do whatever your superiors tell you. No matter what happens in front of your eyes, your job is to zip your mouth and say yes to the call of duty .i.e. suppression of the cause of Kashmir. Above all, it is the regret of being part of a dirty game which is no different from fighting the internal demon. Even if there is no regret, frustration is a good reason to commit crimes against humanity. The result is soldiers purging their inner frustration by raping unfortunate women, beating innocent youngsters to death, shooting their own colleagues and committing suicide by shooting themselves with their service rifle. Unless you are a psychopath or a serial killer, you will go through the same hell and face the same consequences.

Perhaps women are the worst victim of human rights infringements in Indian Occupied Kashmir. According to Kashmir Media Service, 2,305 women have been martyred by Indian army and police during the last 25 years. Since Jan 1989, almost 10,129 women have been gang-raped / molested, whereas 22,786 have been widowed. Abduction and sexual harassment of Kashmiri women is a means to stop, not only women but men, from raising their voice against the Indian brutality. The number of Kashmiri women suffering from psychological disorders is greater than men. Mental stress is one of the major reasons behind the infertility of Kashmiri women. Being a part of society where a woman is either dependent on her father, son, brother or husband, death or imprisonment of the guardian exposes them to a number of challenges. Those responsible for incidents like the Kunan Poshpora mass rape and Shopian tragedy never received the punishment they deserved, but the unfortunate women on whom this barbarism was inflicted, had to face far worse consequences for a long time to come. The women’s suffering did not end with the incident; a pregnant woman gave birth to a child with a fractured arm, a 16 year old girl had to be married to a 50 year old divorcee because of the stigma associated with rape, many committed suicide, to quote just a few examples. It is the Kashmiri woman who face difficulties in getting married, who cannot pursue her education, who becomes a cause of the social isolation of her family, a burden for the whole family and sometimes even for the whole village. Why must they face such atrocities? Does anyone care?

Every intergovernmental organization has three main points at the top of its agenda, i.e. International peace, political stability and economic welfare. On the contrary, SAARC is doing nothing to ensure all these important aspects of an intergovernmental organization, to the list of countries involved. One important member of SAARC is the cause of the death of 94,110 Kashmiris during the last 25 years. Unfortunately, since the time of its conception, SAARC has not even had a single noteworthy achievement. Kashmir issue is the main reason behind it. Even in the recent SAARC conference, the representatives of India and Pakistan could not do more than warmly shake hands and exchange meaningless talk. If SAARC is sincere with its cause, it has to play its role in the resolution of the Kashmir issue. The resolution of this issue is mandatory for the stability of not only Kashmir, but also of South Asia. Therefore, it must be resolved in accordance with the resolutions of the United Nations. Otherwise the suffering of the Kashmiris will never end.