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Islamabad, March 08, 2023 (PPI-OT): Legal Forum for Kashmir (LFK) has launched a petition to seek justice for Kashmiri women victims of Indian state terrorism in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. According to Kashmir Media Service, the LFK launched the online petition on the website change.org on the occasion of International Women’s Day being celebrated across the world, today. The petition seeks release of Kashmiri women prisoners and holding India accountable for war crimes in IIOJK.
Following is the full text of the petition:
International Women’s Day is celebrated every year on March 8th since 1910, and in 1975, the United Nations (UN) designated it as a day to celebrate women’s achievements and advocate for gender equality. This day holds immense significance for women living under state-sponsored oppression, as it serves as a reminder of the ongoing struggle to fight against all forms of discrimination and injustice.
In repressive states across the world, the women face systematic oppression and discrimination, which are often perpetuated by state institutions and policies. These women are denied basic human rights, including access to education, healthcare, and employment opportunities, and are subjected to violence, harassment, and other forms of abuse.
For these women, International Women’s Day provides a platform to voice their concerns and demand change. It is an opportunity to bring attention to the injustices they face and to mobilize support from the global community. However, despite the efforts of various frameworks established by the UN, women around the world, particularly those living in conflict-ridden areas, continue to face persecution and oppression.
Kashmiri women have been deeply affected by the ongoing conflict in the region. Despite being victims of systemic sexual violence and other forms of oppression, they have remained resilient and continue to aid the resistance struggle for self-determination alongside their male counterparts. They are mothers, daughters, and sisters of male family members who have been unjustly killed or disappeared during arbitrary detention.
Although Kashmiri women have taken legal action against mass rapes like the one in Kunan Poshpora, justice has not been served, as Indian authorities have given their occupying forces full impunity under their legal framework. Women’s activism in Kashmir continues to be undermined by Indian authorities, and women resistance leaders such as Aasiya Andrabi, Nahida Nasreen, and Fehmeeda Sofi are currently being held in India’s notorious Tihar Jail as high-risk prisoners. In the past, Zamruda Habib was imprisoned for four years after being implicated in a false case before being released in 2007. Naseema Bano mother of martyred freedom fighter Tauseef Sheikh was arrested on June 20, 2020, in a case (FIR No. 30 of 2018) under Sections 13B, 17, 18, 18B, 19, 39 of the black law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Insha Jan, 23 was arrested by India’s infamous National Investigation Agency in March 2020 and was falsely implicated in the NIA charge sheet in the Pulwama attack.
The current Indian regime has increasingly used systemic violence and misconstruction of discourse to justify the revocation of special status in Kashmir under the guise of providing rights to Kashmiri women. The international community must ensure that female Kashmiri prisoners are released as soon as possible. The UN and global human rights organizations must address the root causes of the conflict and prevent India from committing violence against women, despite being a signatory to multiple resolutions and treaties on women’s rights.
The termination of women employees in Kashmir by the Indian government is done without following due course and is a violation of the fundamental rights and dignity of women. This includes their right to protection under the law, and their right to work and earn a livelihood. Raziyah Sultan, Saima Akther, and Assabah-ul-Arjamand Khan are among the women terminated from their jobs. The spree of terminations is part of a government crackdown initiated in August 2019 against employees the Indian administration thinks are involved in anti-India activities. The Indian administration is invoking a provision in Article 311 of the Indian Constitution that allows the President or the Governor to dismiss a government employee without an inquiry ‘in the interest of the security of the State’. The Indian government has an obligation to protect the rights of all its citizens, including women, and ensure that they are not subjected to discrimination or oppression.
It is high time for the international community to respect the aspirations and demands of Kashmiri women, and that they are treated equally as the women in other conflict-ridden regions like Ukraine. Women engaged in the struggle for self-determination in Kashmir must be assured that their rights are protected and safeguarded from all forms of violence. Justice must be ensured for all they have had to endure over the past four decades since 1989 when India launched an all-out offensive operation to crush the self-determination struggle.
For more information, contact:
Kashmir Media Service
Phone: +92-51-4435548, +92-51-4435549
Fax: +92-51-4861736
Email: info@kmsnews.org
Website: www.kmsnews.org