ISLAMABAD: International experts and human rights advocates have condemned India’s use of enforced disappearances in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir and termed it as a crime against humanity
The World Congress on Enforced Disappearances (WCED) held on January 15 –16 in Geneva, marking a pivotal step in the global fight to prevent and eradicate this egregious human rights violation.
Over the course of the two-day event, panel discussions will be held on topics such as international responsibility for the forcibly disappeared, strengthening search procedures, and protecting victims, rights defenders, lawyers and journalists.
The enforced disappearances in IOJK represent a severe human rights violation, with over 10,000 individuals reported missing while in Indian custody since 1989.
Human Rights organisations like Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS) and Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP), led by Pervez Imroz and Parveena Ahangar, respectively, key figures in documenting enforced disappearances face severe mobility restrictions to silence their voices.
Key human rights figures like Khurram Parvez and Parveena Ahangar face incarceration and bureaucratic restrictions, effectively barring their participation in global forums.
Investigations by the International People’s Tribunal on HRs and Justice in IIOJK uncovered over 2,900 bodies in mass graves, majority were Kashmiri civilians, not foreign militants as claimed by India.
Draconian laws like Armed Forces Special Powers Act and Public Safety Act grant security forces immunity, fostering a culture of impunity for enforced disappearances.
The families of the disappeared, particularly women, endure significant psychological, social, and economic hardships, with over 200,000 relatives actively seeking information.
The enforced disappearances have devastated Kashmiri families, with India failing to ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from enforced disappearances despite global calls for accountability.
The international community called for India to be held accountable for rights abuses and an urgent call for independent inquiry into enforced disappearances and unmarked mass graves in Kashmir.
