MIRPUR (AJK), (Parliament Times): The Institute of Dialogue, Development & Diplomatic Studies (IDDS), in collaboration with PG Degree College for Girls, Mirpur, hosted a seminar titled “Kunan Poshpora: A Gendered War Crime by Indian Occupation Forces in Indian Illegally occupied Jammu Kashmir state – An International Law Perspective” here on Tuesday.
Faculty members, staff, administration, and students attended the day-long seminar held with primary objective to highlight the gender-based war crimes committed by Indian occupation forces, who have weaponized sexual violence as a tool of war. The event aimed to raise awareness among students—the future leaders of the nation—about these grave human rights violations.
On the night of February 23, 1991, soldiers from the 4th Rajputana Rifles of the Indian Army entered the villages of Kunan and Poshpora in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and allegedly gang-raped nearly 100 women, ranging from 12 to 60 years of age. This heinous crime remains one of the darkest episodes in the contemporary Kashmiri freedom struggle, which continues to demand the right to self-determination as per United Nations resolutions. Despite repeated calls for justice, India has failed to conduct a free and fair investigation into the incident, instead resorting to tactics aimed at delaying the probe and suppressing the truth.
The seminar shed light on the brutality of Indian forces and debated various dimensions of the incident, emphasizing its significance as a stain on the Indian judicial system. Professor Shagufta Zareen, Principal of the college, inaugurated the seminar, stating, “We must become the voice of the victims when every space for justice is being shrunk. The future generation must learn about the atrocities committed by Indian occupational forces and their heinous crimes, which contradict India’s tall claims of democracy. The fact that an impartial investigation has never been allowed exposes India’s attempts to conceal the truth.”
Professor Shazia Nasreen elaborated on women’s rights under international law, emphasizing that sexual violence in conflict is a war crime under the Geneva Conventions. She referenced Article 27 of the Fourth Geneva Convention (1949), which explicitly prohibits rape, , and indecent assault during times of war. Furthermore, she cited the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which classifies sexual violence, including rape, as a war crime and a crime against humanity under Articles 7 and 8. The United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1325 (2000) and 1820 (2008) also recognize the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and call for accountability for such crimes.
Other speakers, including Hafsa Naouman, Ayesha Zakir, Rifat Batool, and Momina Azia, also condemned the atrocities committed in Kunan and Poshpora and stressed the importance of keeping the issue alive in academic and legal discussions.
Dr. Waleed Rasool, Director of IDDS, addressed the audience, stating, “Every aggressor employs oppression to suppress freedom struggles. However, in the contemporary world, oppression can be concealed for a while but not forever. The future leaders of our nation must understand what is happening in Kashmir, particularly the plight of Kashmiri women, so they can distinguish between slavery and independence. We must leverage our freedom to amplify the voices of the oppressed in Indian-occupied Kashmir.”
Dr. Rasool also conducted an interactive session that lasted an hour, during which he answered various questions from students. The session was met with keen interest, as students engaged in meaningful discussions about international law, human rights violations, and the ongoing struggle for justice in Kashmir.
The seminar concluded with a call for renewed international attention to the Kunan Poshpora case and an urgent demand for justice for the victims. The speakers emphasized the need for global human rights organizations to pressurize India to allow an independent investigation into this war crime and hold the perpetrators accountable under international law.
