A group of Kashmiri women had some blunt answers for Presdient Pratibha Patil as they met with her at Rashtrapati Bhawan this week. Iftikhar Gilani reports. 

President Pratibha Patil faced embarrassing moments early this week when some Kashmiri women in a delegation arranged by the Women’s Initiative  for Peace in South Asia (WIPSA) sought her help for “Azadi” to Kashmir and asked her to intervene as a mother to stop killings of children in the valley.

Dr Mohini Giri, daughter-in-law of former President late V V Giri and former President of the National Women’s Commission who had taken the delegation to meet the President after a day-long conference in Delhi on Wednesday, tried to explain that these are one part of many voices in the valley.

The Kashmiri women, however, shot back that “there is only one voice.” They got an opportunity to open up in Rashtrapati Bhawan when the President wanted to know as to what are the issues in Kashmir that are causing so much disturbance.

Zamrooda Malik, whose 10th class-going nephew Wamik Farooq was killed while playing cricket, told her that she was also a woman and a mother and hence she should understand the pain of mothers losing children in firing by police and security forces. She also told the President that those who lost their children in firing would not accept the compensation the government wants to give. “We won’t sell blood of our dear ones for money. We only want Azadi,” she said.

Activist Zamrooda Habib, who underwent a jail term in Tihar Jail here for allegedly receiving money from the Pakistan High Commission to finance militancy in the valley, too spoke up. She said the people in Kashmir do not want any economic package as this time they will not accept anything less than “Azadi.”  She narrated how she was put behind bars in Tihar Jail for five-and-a-half years on fabricated charges and asserted that it was false propaganda that Pakistan was pumping money for organising street demonstrations in the valley. “We are ourselves sending children to streets to raise cry for the Azadi,” she added.

Earlier the group demanded 50 per cent reservation for fairer sex in the group of proposed official interlocutors to bring peace to Jammu and Kashmir. After day-long deliberations to seek peace in Kashmir, participants mostly women at the round-table handed over a set of recommendations to Home Secretary G K Pillai, who promised to incorporate them in the government efforts to bring normalcy.

Several women who had travelled from Kashmir demanded restoration of dignity, privacy and a right to live without fear. Expressing concern for their young children who were growing up in the shadow of the gun, they asked for justice, respect and an enabling environment of peace and harmony. Referring to UN Security Council Resolutions 1325, 1820, 1880, seeking empowerment of women, the resolution adopted at the end of meeting demanded inclusion of fairer sex in all relevant peace processes.

They also asked for an inclusive peace process encompassing all regions, religions and reflect the aspirations of people and also persons displaced due to 20 years of ongoing conflict. The resolution also described demilitrisation, review and removal of AFSPA, release of youth as essential pre-requisite for a peace process.

Demanding justice for families of disappeared, it urges Ministry of Home Affairs to sanction prosecution of security forces and public officials responsible for the killing of 109 youth.

Saying that justice must be seen to be delivered, they also asked for immediate steps to respect right to life and prevent loss of life. They also recommended to the civil society to set up peace committees at local levels and ensure full participation of women. “This process will enable the women to transmit their views to the peace process and the peace process to women,” they said.  Further, a tribunal, comprising men and women of credibility from all sections be constituted to listen to the trauma and injustices and recommend solutions in terms of justice.

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