The Valley of Kashmir has an abundance of natural beauty. It is a land of startling gardens and regal Chinar trees, where sparkling rivers and sleepy lakes drain the valley into almost eternal spring. Kashmir boasts of some of the most beautiful flowering meadows and snow-capped peaks. Breathtaking sights invigorate the weary farmers after a day of toil to grow grains for their families.

But decades of conflict have been causing unfathomable sufferings to the people of Kashmir. Wives and children of the thousands who were disappeared have long been suffering from the agony of uncertainty. They suffer heavily under the weight that life brings,  with little or opportunity for social mobility. Children of the disappeared are living through the confusion of broken dreams.

Wives of the disappeared are all alone to nurture their children, especially take care of their education.

The women and girls of Kashmir, trapped in years of armed conflict, have grown up knowing, suffering too much about the conflict – trauma, bombs, rape, violence and death. Many have lost their husbands, fathers, sons, brothers. They are left behind without a voice - too scared to speak out for truth and justice, and for a long time been thirsting for peace. Will it ever come to the people of Jammu and Kashmir? Or will this conflict be forever a nightmare?

On this day 20th April, 11 years ago, Aasia Jeelani, a lady human rights defender died in a blast from an improvised explosive device (IED), a remote-controlled roadside bomb, while en route to an election monitoring duty in the village of Chandigam, Kupwara District  in North Kashmir.  The driver of the taxi cab also died while her companions sustained serious injuries from the blast.  The incident was a deliberate attack on the legitimate work of human rights defenders pursuing truth, justice and peace for the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

Aasia was one of the promising young lady activists in this paradise lost.  Her sudden demise was a blow to the human rights defenders in Kashmir.  The pain and grief of her demise, though have been turned into an inspiration not only to the Kashmiris but to the entire world.  Her life and death call on her fellow Kashmiri colleagues and to continue this difficult struggle for self-determination, peace and equality.

Aasia Jeelani’s memory shall forever always be immortalized in the hearts and minds of the people of Kashmir, human rights defenders and peoples struggling in pursuit for freedom and peace. She is physically gone, but definitely not forgotten. Her memory will always live forever and will always serve as an inspiration to the women and girls, and all the people in Jammu and Kashmir and the rest of the world.

She was one of those few Kashmiri women who had the rare opportunity to have a good education and a promising career as a journalist. Yet she chose to be in the forefront of the struggle for truth, justice, freedom and peace, rather than a mere spectator to the harsh realities of social injustice, poverty, and utter disregard of the human rights and dignity of the Kashmiri people.

Aasia Jeelani used her knowledge and skills in journalism to become the voice of the thousands of voiceless women and children who were caught in the middle of the conflict, whose husbands, sons, fathers and brothers got disappeared. She courageously traveled to dangerous far-flung villages to chronicle the woeful stories of her people and made it publicly known through the newsletter, “Voices Unheard.”

Aasia Jeelani has become the symbol of inspiration and hope for all the women and girls of Kashmir. She was a dedicated human rights defender who championed the cause of her people against all forms of human rights violations.  She linked arms with those who fell victims of enforced disappearance and helped their families find means to cope up with the trauma of their loss. There are an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 disappeared persons in Kashmir  and their families are deeply affected not only by the ongoing conflict but much more by the loss of their loved ones who were disappeared. She was also instrumental in involving women in conflict resolution and nation-building.

Aasia Jeelani’s life is like a drop of clean, sparkling water that quenches the thirst for peace and freedom for the long oppressed people of Kashmir. Her life flows clean, with passion, like fresh water from the springs of the snow-covered peaks surrounding the Valley of Kashmir. She risked everything for freedom, and gave everything for passion to set her people free from the shackles of political oppression and brutality.

She sacrificed her life for a noble cause which inspires the people of Kashmir to continue pursuing freedom and peace.  Aasia Jeelani is physically gone but her spirit shall live forever. Her memory is immortalized for by those whose lives were touched by her courage and sacrifices for the people of Kashmir.

On this 11th year of her death, the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD)  fondly remembers Aasia as a great friend, a courageous human rights defender whose life and works will always be remembered forever.

In solidarity,

MARY AILEEN D. BACALSO

Secretary-General

The Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearance (AFAD)