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 throughout 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 testament 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 expressed 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 the freedom struggle of Kashmir. There is a huge number of Kashmiri women living in refugee camps in Azad Kashmir who have faced the worst kind of abuse by Indian occupational forces.
We must present those cases at international forums and make joint petitions and educate people.
Political Assistant to Ex-Chief Minister Punjab on Human Rights Ms Urooj Raza Sayyami said that India is illegally using weapons and violating the human rights in Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir. People are not aware of the situation at all because of the silence of Media. She stated that media and international organizations must come forward and full fill their duty.
Lecturer, International Relations at Riphah International University Dr. Waleed Rasool expressed serious concern about the flaws in international laws and the 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 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: Disempowering 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.
