By Ali Imran
ISLAMABAD: International Community should commit to end India’s use of sexual violence as a weapon of war in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), said experts in a roundtable debate in line of Kashmiri Women’s Resistance Day.
Legal Forum for Kashmir (LFK) and Islamabad Institute of Conflict Resolutions (IICR) organized a roundtable debate titled Targeting Vulnerable Groups as a Weapon of War: India’s Abuse and Impunity in Kashmir. Every year on 23 February Kashmiris through-out the world along with the survivors of Kunan Poshpora mass rape in IIOJK organize acts of resistance, remembering, and contemplating in commemoration of the horrific rape and torture of women in twin villagers in district Kupwara, north of Kashmir. The survivors of these atrocities continue to fight for justice and recognition even in the face of overwhelming odds.
The fact that they are still seeking legal recourse is a tes-tament to the power of the law as a form of archiving memory, as well as to their own resilience and determination. Speaking on the occasion, Chairperson Peace and Culture Organization Mushaal Hussain Malik highlighted the issues of Kashmiri women and ex-pressed that the women in Kashmir are living under constant fear.
Despite the threat of being abused or humiliated, they are playing an important role in freedom struggle of Kashmir. There are huge number of Kashmiri women living in ref-ugee camps in Azad Kashmir who have faced worst kind of abuses by Indian occupa-tional forces. We must present those cases at international forums and make joint peti-tions and educate people.
International University and Political Assistant to Ex-Chief Minister Punjab on Human Rights Ms Urooj Raza Sayyami said that India is illegally using weapons and are violat-ing the human rights in Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir. People are not aware about the situation all because of the silence of Media.
She stated that media and international organizations must come forward and full fill their duty. Moreover she stated that it’s the need of the time Pakistan being a party to dispute must come forward and raise voice for Kashmir on international forums and seek opportunities to highlight the violence perpetrated on defenseless Kashmiri’s.
Former Minister of Social Welfare and women development AJK Ms Farzana Yaqoob said that Kashmiri women have been facing worst kind of abuses. Kunan Poshpora is world’s worst rape incident and Kashmir is the only part of world where half widows are found. Lecturer, International Relations at Riphah International University Dr. Waleed Rasool stated that all the brutalities that are going on in Jammu and Kashmir is legal according to Indian constitution.
He expressed his serious concern about the flaws in international laws and silence of Muslim states particularly the signatories of UN and UDHR. Professor at the department of Defense and Strategic Studies Quaid e Azam University Islamabad Dr. Salma Malik highlighted the rape cases of Kashmiri women committed by Indian occupational forces especially the Asiya and Nelofar case, Asifa case and many other cases.
She stated that there are hundreds of cases which are unknown to the world. Every-thing is available on google but unfortunately actual facts of Kashmir are missing. She further emphasized the need of world’s commitment to end the Indian’s use of sexual violence as a weapon of war, as well as greater accountability for those who have committed such acts.
At the conclusion of the working session of the Round Table Conference, an exhaustive factsheet report by Legal Forum for Kashmir titled “The Great Land-Grab: Disempower-ing People in Occupied Jammu and Kashmir” was also launched.
The factsheet report exposes India’s systematic settler colonial program in IIOJK on the lines of Israeli model in Palestine.
