India using Kashmiri women as a weapon of war in IIOJK: APHC
Srinagar: The All Parties Hurriyat Conference has deplored that India is using Kashmiri women as a weapon of war to humiliate Kashmiris and suppress their ongoing struggle to secure freedom from its subjugation in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
According to Kashmir Media Service, APHC spokesman Advocate Abdul Rashid Minhas, in a statement issued in Srinagar, said that the International Women’s Day being commemorated today across the world is meaningless for Kashmiri women. He said women in IIOJK continue to be humiliated, suppressed, killed, tortured, arrested and raped in broad daylight by trigger-happy Indian troops.
The APHC urged the instruments of international justice and watchdogs such as the United Nations, as well as the international community, to intervene and take cognizance of the sufferings of Kashmiri women. The spokesman said Kashmiri women are playing a leading role in the ongoing freedom struggle and called upon the world community to force India to protect women’s rights in the territory.
Meanwhile, prominent Kashmiri human rights activist and chairman of the Kashmir Institute of International Relations (KIIR) Altaf Hussain Wani has paid glowing tribute to Kashmiri women for their resilience and sacrifices amidst ongoing conflict in the region.
Altaf Hussain Wani in his statement said women in Kashmir have borne the brunt of prolonged violence and state repression, which India uses as a tool to suppress dissent.
He highlighted the sexual and psychological abuse faced by women at the hands of occupying forces, as well as the application of discriminatory laws, noting that India has failed to honor its commitments under international conventions to protect the dignity and rights of women in the region.
He also commended Kashmiri women for their unwavering struggle and sacrifices in the face of adversity.
Calling for an immediate end to violence against women, Altaf Wani urged UN mandate holders and other international bodies to use their influence to halt crimes against women in the occupied territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
He expressed particular concern over the continued detention of Kashmiri women activists, notably Aasiya Andrabi, who, along with her key aides, has been languishing in Tihar Jail for several years and called for holding the Indian government accountable for the actions of its forces against Kashmiris.
