Kashmir’s women suffer decades of horror: 22,991 widowed, 11,275 molested: Report

ISLAMABAD, Mar 8 (APP):As the world observes International Women’s Day on Sunday (today), Kashmiri women continue to endure relentless pain and suffering under the actions of Indian troops and police in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir

(IIOJK).

               A report of the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service, issued on the occasion of International Women’s Day, states that Kashmiri women in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir continue to face hardships and victimization at the hands of Indian forces, including the army, Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, Special Operations Group and police.

           The report also recalls that during the 1947 Jammu massacres, widespread violence was committed against the Muslim population.

          It states that thousands of Muslim women were abducted and subjected to brutal treatment in areas such as Jammu, Rajouri, Poonch and Kathua, describing the incidents as part of a systematic campaign carried out during that turbulent period under the rule of Maharaja Hari Singh.

                Since the 1988 popular uprising in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), scholars and human rights organizations have documented serious allegations of sexual violence by Indian state forces, including the Indian Army, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Border Security Force (BSF). Reports have highlighted that such incidents occurred during military operations, reflecting the deep human rights concerns surrounding the conflict in the territory.

         After 1989, various reports alleged that Kashmiri civilians faced widespread abuses, including torture, killings and destruction of homes and businesses. A 1993 Human Rights Watch report stated that rape was used by Indian forces as a method of retaliation against civilians, with many cases reportedly occurring during cordon-and-search operations carried out in different areas of the region.

            In October 1992, representatives from the Asia Watch group and Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) traveled to Kashmir to document rape and other human rights abuses and violations of the laws of war by Indian forces. Later they released a book titled “Rape in Kashmir” on May 9, 1993.

          The report revealed that since January 1989, Indian state terrorism has rendered 22,991 women widowed, while 11,275 women were molested by Indian forces’ personnel. The report also reveals the devastating impact of Indian state terrorism on women in IIOJK. Since January 2001, at least 690 women have been martyred by Indian forces’ personnel.

         The report further pointed out that the majority of Kashmiris suffering from multiple psychological problems are women, adding, the most heinous crimes committed against Kashmiri women, including the mass rape in Kunan-Poshpora, the rape and murder of Aasiya Jan and her sister-in-law Neelofar Jan in Shopian, and the rape and murder of 8-year-old Aasifa Bano in Kathua, each exposing the culture of impunity granted to the Indian forces establishment in the territory.

          The report said that thousands of women lost their sons, husbands, fathers and brothers in the occupied territory who were subjected to custodial disappearances by Indian troops. According to the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons, 8,000 Kashmiris went missing in custody during the past 38 years, inflicting pain and agony on the womenfolk of the occupied territory.

            The report said that over three dozen Kashmiri women including Hurriyat leaders Aasiya Andrabi, Fehmeeda Sofi and Naheeda Nasreen languish in Indian and IIOJK jails, facing political persecution for championing Kashmiris’ right to self-determination. They are being politically victimized only because they represent the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and their demand for the right to self-determination, it added.

           The report highlighted the widespread use of pellet guns by Indian troops in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, leaving thousands of civilians, including schoolchildren, injured and blinding over 100 people, among them 19-month-old Hiba Jan and 2-year-old Nusrat Jan. It also noted that many mothers and wives have died while waiting for their disappeared sons, while widows and half-widows have been living in pain and uncertainty for decades.

              Around 400 women from Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) who married Kashmiri men in the occupied territory reportedly face legal hardships, as they are denied citizenship rights and travel documents to return to AJK, while their children are also barred from admission to government schools. One such woman, Saba Fayaz, said she could not visit her mother before her death after moving to the territory in 2012.

                   The report stated that women in Kashmir continue to face political, social and economic pressure and are often deprived of rights guaranteed under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

                      It cited the case of Rafiqa Begum, wife of detained Hurriyat leader Ayaz Akbar, who died of cancer in 2021 while her husband remained imprisoned in Tihar Jail. Another woman, Maroofa Meraaj, wife of detained Hurriyat leader Raja Meraaj-ud-Din Kalwal, said she and her daughters continue to suffer from depression due to his prolonged imprisonment.

              The report also mentioned Rafia Begum, whose son Athar Mushtaq Wani was killed in a controversial encounter in December 2020 in Srinagar and buried in an unmarked grave in Ganderbal, while many other families still seek justice for relatives buried in unknown graves in Baramulla, Kupwara and Ganderbal. It further noted that several Kashmiri leaders, including Masarrat Alam Butt, Shabbir Ahmed Shah, Muhammad Yasin Malik, Nayeem Ahmed Khan, Khurram Parvez and Advocate Mian Abdul Qayoom, remain imprisoned in different jails in India and IIOJK.

                    International Women’s Day, observed annually on March 8 since 1910 and officially recognized by the United Nations in 1975, highlights women’s achievements and the struggle for gender equality. The report said that in conflict-affected regions like Kashmir, women continue to face violence, harassment and discrimination despite international protections. It also pointed out that several Kashmiri women employees, including Raziyah Sultan, Saima Akther and Assabah-ul-Arjamand Khan, were dismissed from their jobs without due process.

               The report urged the international community to recognize the suffering of Kashmiri women and ensure justice for violations committed over the past four decades since 1989, including documented incidents of sexual violence such as the 1991 Kunan-Poshpora mass rape.

             It also cited the latest reported incident on March 2, 2026, when a senior police officer in Srinagar allegedly misbehaved with and physically assaulted at least six women during a procession in Alamgari Bazar, Hawal Chowk.