MUZAFFARABAD: The women’s wing of a Kashmiri refugee organisation staged a protest to highlight the plight of women suffering under Indian oppression in occupied Jammu and Kashmir on the occasion of International Women’s Day on Saturday.

Separately, at a government-organised event, three cabinet members reaffirmed their commitment to protecting and empowering women in the liberated territory.

The protest, organised by the women’s wing of Pasban-i-Hurriyat Jammu and Kashmir (PHJK), saw participants carrying black flags, banners and placards demanding the release of Kashmiri women imprisoned in Indian jails.

The demonstrators also condemned the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war by Indian forces. Calling for punitive action against war crimes committed against Kashmiri women, they urged the United Nations to intervene for the immediate release of Kashmiri prisoners.

The demonstration concluded with a march from Burhan Wani Shaheed Chowk to Ghari Pan Chowk, during which participants kept on chanting slogans against Indian atrocities in occupied Kashmir.

Speaking at the rally, Legislative Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar denounced India’s oppressive policies and called upon the international community to protect Kashmiri women’s rights.

“On this International Women’s Day, we urge peace-loving nations, organisations, and institutions worldwide to take meaningful action for the safety and dignity of Kashmiri women,” he said.

He said more than 20 Kashmiri women and thousands of other Kashmiris were languishing in Indian jails, and urged human rights bodies to advocate for their release.

PHJK women’s wing chairperson Mehnaz Qureshi highlighted the systematic use of torture, sexual violence, beatings, and intimidation by Indian forces against Kashmiri women.

“More than four million women and girls in occupied Kashmir are living under an environment of fear and terror imposed by Indian forces,” she said.

Aamna Saleem of Jamaat-i-Islami’s women’s wing called upon global women’s rights organisations to demand the release of Aasiya Andrabi, Fahmida Sofi, Naheeda Nasreen and other Kashmiri female prisoners.

“Those who shed crocodile tears for women’s rights must take a firm stand against the oppression of Kashmiri women by India,” she asserted.

PHJK vice chairman Usman Ali Hashim pointed out that the scale of Indian atrocities against Kashmiri women was too vast to be summarised in a single discussion.

He revealed that 23,000 women in occupied Kashmir had been widowed, while 2,700 were ‘half-widows’ whose husbands were forcibly disappeared by Indian forces.

Citing incidents of gang rapes in Kunan Poshpora, Shopian, and Kathua, he noted that over 11,500 women had been subjected to sexual violence by Indian troops.

He also condemned the use of globally banned pellet guns, which had left many young girls blinded.

Government pledges women’s empowerment

At a separate event organised in collaboration with the Women Development Department and the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus in AJK Assembly, cabinet members Kauser Taqdees Gilani, Imtiaz Naseem, and Nisara Abbasi reaffirmed their commitment to advancing women’s rights.

They announced that the government would provide interest-free loans of up to Rs 500,000 with personal guarantees to skilled women for business startups.

Published in Dawn, March 9th, 2025