THE International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, observed annually on August 30, highlights a grave and persistent human rights issue.
Established by the United Nations General Assembly through Resolution 65/209 in 2010, this day aims to raise global awareness about the plight of individuals who are detained, abducted or disappeared without legal recourse and whose whereabouts remain unknown. Enforced disappearance is universally recognized as a violation of international human rights law, often accompanied by torture, unlawful detention and extrajudicial execution. Relevance of this day, the case of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) needs special focus. In IIOJK, enforced disappearances have been systematically used as a tool of state for repression on the people of occupied state.
Since the renewed uprising in 1989, IIOJK has witnessed widespread and systematic human rights violations that include: (a) Enforced disappearances, particularly of the Kashmiri youth, (b) Extrajudicial killings and custodial deaths, (c) Torture in detention facilities of Indian Army, (d) Sexual violence against women as a punishment and (e) Mass arrests and harassment of masses. According to the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP), more than 8,000 individuals have been forcibly disappeared in IIOJK since 1989. These cases often involve abductions by Indian security forces during Cordon and Search Operations (CASOs) or after arbitrary detention. Victims are taken to undisclosed locations, frequently tortured and never seen again. Reports suggest the existence of unofficial detention facilities where detainees are subjected to physical and psychological torture. Survivors recount beatings, electric shocks and mock executions. Many are presumed to have died in custody or been summarily executed.
In 2011, the Jammu and Kashmir State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) confirmed the existence of 2,730 unmarked graves across the districts of Bandipora, Baramulla and Kupwara, containing over 2,943 bodies. Human rights investigations revealed that many of these individuals were labeled as “unidentified militants” to obscure state-led extrajudicial killings. Most had never been properly identified or investigated, violating international standards for the treatment of the dead. There are recent known cases that took place from 2023–2025; a) In March 2025, Kathua District: three individuals; Yogesh Singh, Darshan Singh and Varun Singh disappeared after attending a wedding. Their bodies were later recovered from a canal, b) In February 2025, Kulgam District: two brothers, Riyaz and Showkat Ahmad, were found dead with visible injuries, a third person, Mukhtar Ahmad Awan is still missing, c) In January 2025: The SHRC ordered investigations into 132 cases in Banihal and 507 cases in Baramulla and Bandipora, d) In December 2023: Three Gujjars; Mohammad Showkat, Safeer Hussain and Shabir Ahmad died in the custody under suspicious circumstances.
Since 1989, there have been massive killings in the IIOJK including rapes and molestations. Kunan-Poshpora Mass Rape (1991) where girls from 8 years of age to women of 80 years were ganged raped and no one was blamed for since two Indian Army Battalions had done this. Over 13,000 women have been subjected to rape, molestation and gender-based violence, as part of Indian military operations. Such acts have traumatized the Kashmiris in the entire IIOJK and demand investigations under international humanitarian law. Cases of half-widows and social devastation altogether narrate a different tale of every case. The trauma of enforced disappearance extends beyond the victims. Thousands of families live in a state of limbo; unsure whether to grieve or hope. Widows without proof of death are referred to as “half-widows”, facing social stigma, legal complications and economic hardship. Organizations like APDP, led by Parveena Ahanger, continue to document cases and advocate for truth and justice, despite systemic challenges and lack of cooperation from Indian security forces.
The Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and Public Safety Act provide sweeping immunity to Indian military and paramilitary forces operating in IIOJK. This legal shield has created a culture of absolute impunity, rendering judicial mechanisms ineffective. Victims’ families seeking accountability face intimidation, legal hurdles and prolonged silence. Despite repeated appeals from Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and UN special rapporteurs, the Indian government has consistently refused to acknowledge or adequately investigate cases of enforced disappearance in Kashmir.
Enforced disappearances in IIOJK represent one of the gravest and most persistent human rights violations of the 21st century. The Indian State’s policies driven by impunity, political denial and demographic transformation have caused immense suffering to the Kashmiri people. The international community can no longer afford to ignore the humanitarian consequences of the unresolved Kashmir conflict. Recognizing enforced disappearance as both a crime under international law and a violation of collective dignity, the international community must take concrete steps to ensure justice, accountability and a path toward peace and self-determination for the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
In order to address the humanitarian dimension of the Kashmir dispute, the United Nations, major powers and international community should diplomatically prevail over India for taking following steps: (i) immediate cessation of human rights violation, including enforced the disappearances, arbitrary detentions and demographic manipulation, (ii) restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood and special constitutional status as it existed prior to August 5, 2019, (iii) demilitarization of civilian areas, limiting military presence to ceasefire line only, (iv) independent international investigations under UN bodies to probe cases of enforced disappearances and massive human rights violations in IIOJK and (v) implementation of the right to self-determination for the people of Jammu and Kashmir, in accordance with UN resolutions
— The writer is Professor of Politics and IR at International Islamic University, Islamabad.
