Sheikh Saqlain

There is only one woman I’ve met whose sufferings are not reflected by the wrinkles on her face, only because there cannot be enough of them to equal her pain. Nearly three decades ago Parveena Ahanger’s son was arrested by security forces in a pre-dawn raid in Kashmir’s main city, he has not returned home since.

She has searched for her son, Javid Ahmad Ahanger, in prisons, security camps and burial grounds across Kashmir without rest but to no avail. Javid was only 17 when he was abducted.

“I told my husband to take care of our other children and promised him that I would go and find my son with the help of God,” Parveena said. “But the search has so far yielded no other trace. I see myself failing to keep my promise.”

Javid’s disappearance changed everything for his mother. As she was searching for him, Parveena heard endless tales of sons, husbands and fathers who had gone missing in Kashmir after their arrests. Thousands have gone missing in the past 30 years during an insurgency against New Delhi’s Rule in Kashmir.

“It was during these visits to the security camps and offices of government officials that I met others like me,” Parveena added. “I decided to fight this battle together and began a new search for the people and families who have met the same fate.”

In 1994, through Parveena’s efforts, the collective called the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) was formed. To this day, the APDP continues to hold protests demanding the whereabouts of their kin.  More and more families, whose relatives have gone missing, have joined APDP over the years, seeking any news of their loved ones.

Once a housewife, 60-year-old Parveena Ahanger has become an international leader for mothers of missing children throughout Asia. In 2005 she was among 1,000 women nominees for the Nobel Peace prize and last year she won Norway’s prestigious Rafto Prize for Human Rights.

Read complete story here: https://www.ourlostparadise.com/kashmirs-iron-lady-is-a-grieving-mother/