Speakers at APHC-AJK event call for opening of Kunan Poshpora rape tragedy
Islamabad: An event was held at the office of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference-AJK chapter under the leadership of Convener Ghulam Muhammad Safi to mark the 35th anniversary of the Kunan Poshpora tragedy.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the event was attended by Hurriyat leadership, political and social figures, and individuals from different schools of thought.
Speakers on the occasion described the tragic incident of February 23, 1991, as one of the darkest chapters in Kashmiri history—an episode that continues to shake the collective conscience and raise serious questions about global claims of human rights and justice.
The speakers said the mass rape at Kunan Poshpora remains a stain on the face of India, which claims to uphold democratic values. They stressed that despite the passage of thirty-five years, the victims remain deprived of justice, while immunity granted to the personnel involved under black laws has paralyzed the process of accountability. This impunity, they said, not only obstructs justice but also paves the way for the recurrence of such tragedies.
The speakers emphasized that the memories of Kunan Poshpora are an inseparable part of the collective memory of the Kashmiri people and cannot be erased. They termed the incident a glaring example of oppression in occupied Jammu and Kashmir, where allegations of using sexual violence against women as a tool of state terrorism have been widely discussed at the international level. They demanded reopening of the case, an independent and transparent investigation, and the prosecution of those responsible so that long-awaited justice may be delivered to the victims.
Addressing the gathering, Convener Ghulam Muhammad Safi, in his presidential speech, said that standing up for oppressed women, children, and the elderly is a religious and moral obligation. He said that the enemy often targets the most vulnerable sections of society to weaken the struggle for the right to self-determination. However, he reaffirmed that despite oppression and repression, the Kashmiri people remain steadfast in their resolve to carry their struggle to its logical conclusion.
Among those who attended the event were senior APHC-AJK leaders Muhammad Farooq Rehmani, Mahmood Ahmad Saghar, General Secretary Advocate Parvez Ahmad, Altaf Hussain Wani, Hassan al-Banna, Haji Muhammad Sultan, Ejaz Rehmani, Sheikh Abdul Majeed, Zahid Safi, Syed Gulshan Ahmad, Chaudhry Shaheen, Imtiaz Wani, Muhammad Shafi Dar, Muhammad Ashraf Dar, Manzoor Ahmad Dar, Abdul Majeed Lone, Adeel Mushtaq Wani, Nazir Ahmad Karnai, Imtiaz Butt, Mushtaq Ahmad Butt, Rais Mir and other personalities.
