Kashmiri Women in Pain Under Indian Occupation in IIOJK: Civil Society

To honor family and motherhood, thousands of Kashmiri women mourn the forced disappearances and detentions of their loved ones — a pain that continues to echo unanswered by the global conscience.

The civil society members in Srinagar have drawn attention to the silent suffering of Kashmiri women in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). These women, many of whom have waited for decades, continue to search for their missing sons and husbands who vanished in Indian military custody since 1989.

Activists including Dr. Zubair Ahmed Raja, Muhammad Furhan, Muhammad Iqbal Shaheen, and Syed Haider Hussain highlighted the agony faced by thousands of families. They described the plight of those whose loved ones remain imprisoned, often without charges or trials, and who are desperate for their safe return.

The members shed light on the courage of Kashmiri women in resisting Indian oppression. Women have endured house raids, harassment, arbitrary arrests, and the ever-present threat of violence from state forces. The use of excessive force and torture by Indian troops has left indelible scars, especially on women who have been direct victims or helpless witnesses to these horrors.

Kashmiri women, they emphasized, are among the most affected by India’s continued occupation. Many have become widows, or “half-widows,” due to the disappearance of their spouses. Others, including elderly mothers, languish in jails under fabricated cases filed through harsh laws. The Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and other so-called black laws have created a shield of impunity for Indian forces, preventing accountability for human rights violations.

The civil society group also denounced the use of sexual violence, humiliation, and systemic torture as tools of war. The pain of mothers who have lost sons to fake encounters, like the chilling example of 33 extrajudicial killings in December 1994 alone, paints a grim picture of daily life in the region.

They voiced deep concern over the role of India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) and State Investigation Agency (SIA), which have been used to persecute Kashmiris under the guise of counter-terrorism. These agencies are accused of targeting dissenters, harassing families, and labeling any form of peaceful protest as sedition or terrorism.

The members issued a strong appeal to the United Nations, human rights organizations, and women’s rights groups worldwide. They urged the global community to break its silence and act to end the injustice suffered by Kashmiri women, especially mothers who continue to demand answers and justice.