IIOJK Leaders Condemn India’s Use of Violence Against Women as a Weapon of War

The systematic use of sexual violence by Indian forces in IIOJK continues to be a haunting reminder of war crimes that remain unpunished.

The All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) has expressed grave concern over the worsening human rights situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), stating that India is using violence against women as a war tactic to suppress Kashmiris’ fight for self-determination.

This statement was issued by APHC Chairman Masarrat Aalam Butt from New Delhi’s infamous Tihar Jail. His message, shared by his spokesman Advocate Abdul Rashid Minhas in Srinagar, coincided with the 34th anniversary of the Kunan-Poshpora mass rape tragedy.

On the night of February 23, 1991, Indian troops carried out mass gang rapes of around 100 women of all ages during a siege and search operation in Kunan-Poshpora, Kupwara district. Since 2014, February 23 has been observed as Kashmiri Women’s Resistance Day, a call first initiated by the Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society and later supported by the All Parties Hurriyat Conference.

In his message, Masarrat Aalam Butt stated that Indian troops, shielded by draconian laws such as the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), continue to commit heinous war crimes in the region with impunity. He emphasized that the Indian military uses harassment, molestation, and sexual violence as weapons to disgrace and break the spirit of Kashmiri people in their struggle for freedom. Butt urged international human rights organizations to take concrete steps to deliver justice to the victims of the mass rape tragedy.

Several other APHC leaders, including Zamruda Habib, Yasmeen Raja, Fareeda Behanji, Mohammad Yousuf Naqash, Khadim Hussain, Syed Sibte Shabbir Qummi, and Abdul Samad Inqilabi, also issued statements in Srinagar. They called for an impartial investigation by an International War Crimes Tribunal to hold the perpetrators accountable, as the Kashmiri people have lost all faith in India’s judiciary.

Meanwhile, Mehmood Ahmad Saghar, the acting chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party, denounced the Kunan-Poshpora tragedy as a dark stain on India’s so-called democracy. He lamented that despite overwhelming evidence, not a single perpetrator has been held accountable. He demanded strict action against those responsible for the atrocities.

As international calls for justice grow louder, human rights organizations continue to push for an independent investigation into the war crimes committed in IIOJK. The people of the region remain determined to expose the systematic oppression they face and seek justice for the countless victims of state-sponsored violence.