______________________________________
Rape of Women by Indian Government
Forces in Kashmir
We
are in total support of the initiative taken by Ms Angelina Jolie (UN Special
envoy) and supported by Her Majesty's Government to stop rape and violence
perpetrated through out the world against women.
Women of Kashmir since decades have also suffered immensely as a
result of organized violence and rape perpetrated by the Indian military.
We are dismayed at the total disregard in your campaign of their suffering both
as victims of rape well as mothers, wives and relatives of the thousands of
innocent men who've been killed and hundreds of those who were arrested and
have disappeared without trace.
Reports
of rape by Indian security forces in Kashmir emerged soon
after the government's crackdown began in January 1990.18 Despite evidence that
army and paramilitary forces were engaging in widespread rape, few of the
incidents were ever investigated by the authorities. Those that were reported
did not result in criminal prosecutions of the security forces involved.
Jammu Kashmir - Kashmir for short- is the most heavily militarized region of
the world.
In
Indian occupied part of Kashmir alone an estimated presence of 700,000 Indian
military and paramilitary forces operate; often committing and perpetrating
inhuman acts of violence against the most vulnerable in society.
Indian army whose actions are protected under the Special Powers Act- SPA and
TADA , over past twenty six years in particular has resorted to rape as a
weapon of war. One such incident which shocked the Human rights agencies is the
mass rape of women took place on 23rd February 1991 in the village of Kunan Poshpura remains a blot on the character of the conduct of
Indian military in Kashmir.
We
urge you therefore to raise your voice against the rape of women in Kashmir too
References:
·
Amnesty
International, India: Torture, Rape and Deaths in Custody, (London: March, 1992), p. 21.
·
Asia Watch, Kashmir Under Siege, p. 87.
·
25 See Amnesty
International, "India: New Allegations of Rape by Army Personnel in Jammu and Kashmir," AI Index: ASA 20/02/93, January 1993.
For Further Details, Please Contact:
Prof.
Azmat Khan à President@JKLF.co.uk à +44 0791
265 3054
Prof.
Zafar Khan à zafarGK@aol.com à +44 0794
472 2901
Mahmood
Hussain à mhussain3@Gmail.com
à +44 0795
6400 834
