End Of Solitude: Tale Of A Dead Mother
By Aakanksha Mohan Sharma
28 October, 2009
Countercurrents.org
I got up in the morning yesterday and read – “Mughli is dead...” Somebody had posted this on face book live page. Suddenly I went back to the day when she served me delicious Nadroos (lotus stem) saying, “My son loves to eat. I will cook nadroo for him (lotus stem) when he comes back.” Mughli's fragile face is still alive but she is dead. Mughli was one of the thousands women of Indian administered Kashmir who are a part of Association of parents of disappeared persons who claims that more than 10,000 men of Kashmir are disappeared since Indian counter-insurgent assault began in the kashmir valley in 1990.
“My husband divorced me after three months of our marriage. Therefore, I raised him all alone. I am sure that he is alive and will come back before my death, as he is my only hope. Who else will do my funeral dues?” Mughli had said while pointing me to eat properly.
She waited in despair for her only son in a large house located in Habba Kadal, part of old city of Srinagar where she died on Sunday leaving her dream of hugging her son once before departing from this world.
Indian Security forces allegedly picked her son, Nazir Ahmed, a teacher by profession when he had left for school in 1991.
“I always used to see Nazir coming back from school in the evening from the window. I keep a watch at the window everyday as I am sure I will get a sight of him here only.” Said Mughli watching out from her window.
She had a firm belief in God. “Come with me to the shrine if you want.” She had asked me. She went to the two shrines of the city, weeping and wailing, as if she would not go back home if she does not finds him that day only. However, that was her weekly routine. Most of these women find refuge in faith, however; divine power also cannot heal their wounds.
“I am feeling dejected and ill- fated today.” Said Parveena Ahangar on phone, the president of Association of disappeared persons whose 16 years old son, Javed, was also allegedly picked up by the Indian security forces and never came back.
“We have been fighting from last 18 years to know about the where about of our children, husbands, fathers, brothers but have achieved nothing till date. But we cannot stop fighting for justice as Mughli did till her last breath” said sobbing Parveena.
However, Indian authorities dispute the disappearance figure and assert that most of those alleged to be missing slipped into Pakistan for guerrilla training.
Enforced disappearances persist in many countries all over the world, which is particularly a cruel human rights violation; a violation of the person who has disappeared and a violation of those who love them.
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The International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, an international human rights instrument of the United Nations intended to prevent forced disappearances states that
No exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether a state of war or a threat of war, internal political instability or any other public emergency, may be invoked as a justification for enforced disappearance.
The widespread or systematic use of enforced disappearance is further defined as a crime against humanity.
The Convention attracted 57 signatures when opened for signature in Paris but As of July 2009 only Albania , Argentina , Mexico , Honduras , France , Senegal , Bolivia , Cuba , Kazakhstan , Uruguay , Mali , and Japan have ratified the convention.
Aakanksha Mohan Sharma
MA political communication
University of Leeds
