As the world observes International Day of Persons with Disabilities, today, oppressed people of people in illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir continue to suffer from disabilities caused or exacerbated by the ongoing political injustice and  systematic human rights violations. A report released by Kashmir Media Service on the day, India continues to systematically use torture to disable the people in illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. 

Human rights reports document various brutal torture techniques employed in interrogation centers, such as electric shocks, severe beatings, and burning with heated objects, which have left individuals permanently disabled or dead. The Victims of conflict-related disabilities often face a lack of proper healthcare, rehabilitation facilities, and financial or job compensation, making them highly dependent on their families, report said. 

The draconian laws like the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) have been cited by human rights groups as contributing to an environment of impunity for Indian forces, where perpetrators of violence are rarely prosecuted in occupied territory. The report maintained that the people with disabilities in the territory face double discrimination, stemming from both their disability and the general challenges of living in a disputed and war like occupied zone, often leading to social isolation and difficulty in accessing education and employment opportunities.  

These findings have been detailed in reports by organizations such as the Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP), Amnesty International, and the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). The report said brutal and inhuman torture techniques, employed by Indian forces personnel have left thousands of Kashmiris disabled for life, including hundreds losing eyesight in one or both eyes while over a thousand young boys and women’s faces and bodies were targeted in the Kashmir valley.  

Among the most brutal tactics used by Indian forces personnel including army, paramilitary, police and Special Operation Groups to disable and maim the Kashmiris include firing of bullets, pellets, teargas and PAVA shells on peaceful protesters and mourners in the valley.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)