Surge in sexual violence against Kashmiri women by Indian occupied forces

SRINAGAR: Incidents of sexual violence and killings of Kashmiri women by Indian forces in illegaly Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir are on the rise.

All Party Hurriyat Conference General Secretary Maulvi Bashir Ahmad Irfani has said that the occupying Indian forces are continuously martyring Kashmiri women, while,  many Kashmiri women including Asiya Andrabi are still detained in Indian jails where they were subjected to mental and physical torture.

According to Kashmir Media Service, Maulvi Bashir Ahmed in a statement issued in Srinagar on the occasion of International Day Against Violence on Women today said that Indian forces are using rape of Kashmiri women as a weapon of war. The culmination of the atrocity is the fact that under the guise of sieges and search operations, Indian beasts are breaking into houses, killing men or driving them out of their homes, targeting women Maulavi Bashir said.

He said that the brutality of the Indian Army can be gauged from the fact that Scholar Shubh Mathur has termed rape in Kashmir as an essential element of Indian military strategy. He said that in a country where former military chiefs are encouraging the rape of Kashmiri women, how can the protection of women and respect for human rights be expected.

Mauvali Bashir said that the world powers must raise their voice against India and take drastic measures to stop it from humiliating humanity and violence against women. He said that the silence of the United Nations on the atrocities perpetrated on Kashmiri women was encouraging the occupying Indian forces to commit more crimes.

Maulvi Bashir said that it was time to question Indian soldiers for sexual violence against Kashmiri women and ensure an environment free of sexual exploitation, rape and violence in Kashmir. Maulvi Bashir Ahmed further said that several international human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch, in their reports have made eye-catching revelations of violence and disrespect against women by Indian forces in occupied Jammu and Kashmir and such incidents are increasing day by day.