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Kashmir: Women of conflict

Photo essay on women of Kashmir, where an ongoing conflict has exacted a heavy toll.

A Kashmiri girl and her mother, whose husband has disappeared, move past portraits of youth who have disappeared in Indian-administered Kashmir. The Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) say some 8,000-10000 people have disappeared in course of the conflict.
By Abid Bhat
Published On 1 Oct 2013

Women in Indian-administered Kashmir have been subjected to great sufferings since a separatist uprising broke out the region in 1989.

Many of them have been widowed, displaced, tortured, raped, and jailed. Some have also had their sons killed in the ongoing conflict.

Even the girl child has not been spared, many of whom have been orphaned. 

India claims Kashmir to be an integral part, but Pakistan also lays claim over the territory. The two neighbours have fought two wars over the territory. 

Because of the continuing turmoil, women in Kashmir are forced to undergo immense hardships. It is no easy life, but then these women have braved the challenges stoically.

This photo essay catalogues the daily life of Kashmiri women — from those pelting stones at Indian troops to those mourning the dead, and those on the lookout for relatives who disappeared in course of the unresolved conflict. 

A Kashmiri woman pelts stones at Indian policemen during a pro-independence demonstration in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian-administered Kashmir. The continuing turmoil in Kashmir has given birth to a whole generation of stone pelters.
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A girl peeps out to check whether it is safe to step out. Curfews enforced by the authorities can last for days and cripple normal life.
Loops of razor wires are widely used to discourage demonstrators from taking over streets in the Indian-administered Kashmir.
It(***)s risky to venture out during curfews. But some, like these two fisherwomen, do step out braving dangers to carry on with their lives.
Tempers often run high in tense Kashmir. Here, a woman is seen engaging with Indian paramilitary soldiers after being stopped from protesting outside the office of UN Military Observer Group.
Death visits the valley with unfailing regularity and thousands have died in the course of the conflict. Here, women of a village in south Kashmir gather to watch the funeral of men who died in a gun battle with troops. 
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The conflict has caused immense distress and these women weep, finding their homes razed by troops. Indian troops are often accused of committing excesses, a charge denied by India. At times, Indian authorities have disciplined its own troops.
But faith keeps the women going and here, they are seen praying at the Hazratbal shrine on the outskirts of Srinagar. The popular shrine houses a relic believed to be a hair from the beard of Prophet Mohammad.
Anger, however, erupts almost on a daily basis and this woman is seen shouting anti-government slogans as she takes part in a sit-in protest during the International Day of the Disappeared in Indian-administered Kashmir. 
But amid all the upheaval, there is still room for song and dance. These school girls performed a traditional dance during India(***)s Republic Day - an occasion that is generally marked by strikes called by pro-Independence groups.    
Years have passed since the rebellion started, but there is no let up in the calls for international intervention to settle the dispute. Here, women march to the UN mission to press for their demand.
Two women carry firewood - they are all forced to bear the burden of a dispute that has eluded a solution for decades.
There is hope though that someday some solution will emerge to resolve what seems an intractable dispute. These two women are busy harvesting mustard. Almost 70 percent of Kashmiris are dependent on agriculture, a sector, badly affected during past two decades of conflict.