Families of enforced disappearance victims in IIOJK await justice

Thousands of Kashmiris have been subjected to enforced disappearance during custody by Indian troops and police over the last thirty-six years in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

A report released by Kashmir Media Service on the occasion of the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, today, sheds light on the dire human rights situation IIOJK. The report reveals that IIOJK, the most militarized regions globally, has transformed into a vast military and police cantonment. Since 1989, this heavy militarization has led to widespread human rights abuses, including enforced disappearances, torture, and extrajudicial killings. The report estimates that at least 8,000 innocent Kashmiris have vanished after being detained by Indian military and police forces over the past three decades.

These disappearances are attributed to the heightened military presence and aggressive operations conducted by Indian forces’ personnel under the influence of the Hindutva ideology. The report criticizes the actions of Indian troops, which have been characterized by extensive cordon and search operations, house raids, and a rising number of extrajudicial killings. It condemns the Indian forces’ practices as part of a broader strategy influenced by the RSS Sangh Parivar communal camp in India.

The report reveals that families of the disappeared have faced immense hardships in their quest to trace their missing ones in IIOJK.. Many have endured economic ruin, as the disappeared individuals were often the primary breadwinners. The relentless search for missing loved ones has taken a severe emotional toll, with many mothers dying while still seeking their sons. The report describes a pervasive atmosphere of fear and uncertainty created by these enforced disappearances, which serve to silence dissent and instill terror in the community.

The cruel reality of enforced disappearances has also given rise to the tragic phenomenon of “half-widows” and “half-orphans,” terms now commonly used in IIOJK. The report criticizes the impunity afforded to Indian troops under oppressive laws such as the Disturbed Areas Act, Armed Forces Special Powers Act, Public Safety Act, and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. These laws have provided a shield for the forces’ personnel to commit atrocities without accountability, including killings, arbitrary arrests, property seizures, sacking of employees and harassment of civilians.

Family members of the disappeared have reported that their loved ones were taken from their homes, streets, and public places by Indian forces and agencies.

The Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) in Srinagar has called on India to fulfill its obligations under international human rights laws and address the issue of enforced disappearances.

Meanwhile, APHC leaders and various civil society member, including Zamruda Habib, Yasmeen Raja, Farida Bahenji, Dr Zubair Ahmed, Muhammad Furhan, Muhammad Iqbal Shaheen and Syed Haider Hussain in their statements in Srinagar expressed solidarity with the families of the enforced disappeared persons. They appealed to the international community to play its role in tracing the whereabouts of the thousands of Kashmiris subjected to custodial disappearance and must ensure that action is initiated against Indian forces’ personnel and the regimes involved in subjecting the civilians and innocent Kashmiris to custodial disappearances since 1989 in the internationally recognized disputed territory of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.