TIO
After decades of ignominy, the frequent killings and terrorism that non-muslim citizens of Kashmir valley had to face at the hands of Islamists, are now coming into public domian. All thanks to social media. Otherwise, the jihadis had successfully bought the silence of mainstream media through bribes and threats. But there is another category of people that have had to silently bear repression, sexual abuse and constant humiliation since seperatists started inviting terrorists in the valley.
For civillians like us, news about Kashmir was mostly terrorist attacks and encounters. Knowledge of the disturbing happenings above, came by chance. One of the college mates who served in Army and had been deployed in the Valley 2-3 times, was coming to the town after 15years. So 7-8 of us planned a batch get together. After all the stories of college days got exhausted, somebody asked him about his special achievements during his very risky tenures in the terrorist affected area. Strangely, he wasnt too excited. Only after he narrated how the Islamists had turned this heaven-on-earth into a sad place, did we realise the gruesome reality of kashmiri jihadis.
He duty was somewhere in southern kashmir. One day, early in the morning, soldiers on routine security check found a young girl walking by in an unusual manner. They stopped her and found that all her clothes were soaked in blood; which she was trying to hide. She would have been barely 15 years old and looked exhausted and mentally displaced. This genrleman friend of ours tried his best to put her at ease, gave her some warm water and took her to hospital for medical ckeck up. After much persuation, the girl broke down. She had been forced by her mother to go and serve as ‘laundi’ (sex slave) of the terrorists.
When the Pakistani terrorists started coming to kashmir, the Islamists in the valley went overboard in serving their foreign helpers. Supplying them local women for as many days as they were in a particular village, was part of the deal. Obviously, these were to be young girls or married women of common muslims. Those from the maulvis’ household or politicians family were not obliged.
This girl in question was barely in 10th standard. She had aspirations of a respectable living as a woman in control of her own life. But the terrorists are brainwashed to believe sexually assaulting younger girls put them closer to zannat. Earlier her family avoided sending her; in fact, her mother would herself go for 2-5 days at a stretch. But the family started getting demands from local maulvi for sending her. Now there was no choice. Because either they comply or lose their lives. In any case, local goondas would take away any woman they wanted.
When her mother asked the girl to go and fulfill the terrorists’ desires, naturally she resisted. Persuation turned into threats, and then beating and finally denial of food & lock up in solitary confinement. The mother even tried to convince her by saying that she would get good food, expensive gifts etc. ! When life at home itself became hell, the girl’s resolve broke down. Fortunately, she could be rescued after the first instance of her exploitation. But being a closed and secretive society living in continuous fear of twrrorists and local maulvis / separatists, most such cases never came to the notice of security forces. For civillians like us living in rest of India, it was shocking. How can a society, stoop to this level ? How can they willingly offer their own women as sex slaves ? Our batchmate told that – Apni biwiyan bhejo, Afghani aaye hain hamare liye ladenge, was what the Islamist would tell common people.
Some years ago, one of the jihadi members of Huriyat had given a statement that Indian Army was raping kashmiri women. Was he pre-empting a disclosure proving the opposite ? Could be because, each terrorist nowadays seems to demand a laundi in all villages and localities that fall in his area. In last two -three years a large number of terrorists have been cornered when they were attempting to visit their so called girl friends. Did the girls really have a choice ?
Local kashmiri dailies often carry news and reports on cases of increasing mental sickness among women of all ages. In fact, more women resort to substance abuse than men. For the later sex itself is an addiction but for the former it is unaviodable torture. Huriyat, shiekhs and mehboobas may like to shout azadi, but should the edifice be built over the blood and sexploitation of the fairer sex ?
Kashmir has been a leading light in the world since the time of sage Kashyap till the arrival of muslim rule. Some peopke even claim that Jesus came there to study Indian philosophy, though that could be a missionary ploy. In India woman is considered as ‘shakti’ incarnate. Her is place higher than that of even gods. Marriage is itself a sacred ceremony. Wife cant be bought by paying money to her father. It is not a contract that can be annulled by saying talaq three times. Why has hate for non-muslims among the kashmiri jihadis resulted in such pitiable condition of their own women ? How can they get away by threatening a talented young actress that she had to leave bollywood and get into burqa ?
Will the indimtable Ms Barkha do a documentry on the unsung muslim women of kashmir ? Will Bhansalis and Mahesh Bhats find courage and honesty to portray stories of their humiliation on the big screen ? Will an influential Mr Amir khan take up this ‘laundi’ tradition, halala, love jihad etc. as topics of his next TV show ?
Will more people from defence and other wise who have served in kashmir, bring out their experiences to show how jihadis exploit and destroy families of common muslim ? Will the muslim youth in kashmir, take back the honour of their mothers and sisters from the jihadi maulvis, seperatists and jihadis ?
