ISLAMABAD: Indian army can simply be categorised as a ‘rapist army’ as thousands of women have fallen victim to rape and sexual harassment in the Illegally-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
There is no end to Indian atrocities and the number is not in the hundreds but thousands. The data available to this scribe states 11259 women had been subjected to rape and sexual harassment in the occupied valley since 1989.
There was an alarming rise in 1992 where 882 women were gang raped and the only reason that comes to mind is the ethnic divide where racial bias resulted in this heinous act.
No one was caught and no one was punished as if nothing happened and with this approach, the Indian army beastly acts can rightly brand them as a ‘rapist army’.
There is a long list of widows, 22960 to be exact, who still await justice that is nowhere in sight.
If the morals and standards were maintained and Indian soldiers were caught and punished timely, the situation could have been different.
There is no second opinion that the Indian army use ‘rape’ as a weapon of war to create fear, trauma and above all unrest.
This is done deliberately to punish Kashmiris who have been demanding their independence since long.
Human Rights Organisations in the world as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have published reports on the role of Indian army atrocities where raping, looting and plundering the Kashmiris is deliberately done to infuse terror in the community.
Independent international reports besides a report from Research Society of International Law state that Kashmiri women faced the worst scenario and have been subjected to highest rate of sexual violence in the world.
Leading French publication The Guardian documented many incidents involving Indian troops and in one of its reports from 1969 to 2020, more than 150 Indian military officers were found to have been involved in sexual abuse.
Men from Rajputana Rifles in Indian Army in 1991 alone raped more than 100 Kashmiri women in Kannpooshpura and it included 11-year-old child to 60-year-old.
In 1991, 53 women confessed before Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir of being raped by Indian troops and on conducting medical examination, these women were also found to be true.
US State Department report in 1992 also points out at the Indian Army’s involvement in gang rapes of Kashmiri women and the undeniable evidence is shocking.
Hindu extremists raped 8-year-old Asifa Bano in temple for 7 days in April 2018.
There are over a thousand cases pending in court against the Indian Army in Kashmir alone and there is no time limit when the justice will be done.
