Decades of conflict in Indian Illegally Occupied Kashmir (IIOJK) have produced ‘many half-widows whose husbands have disappeared but are not declared deceased[1].’ According to the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP)- a reputed NGO that was founded in 1994 that “over the course of the last 24 years, more than 8000 Kashmiris had disappeared by Indian army forces”[2]. Furthermore, there were 10,717 documented cases of molestation in the gang rape of women especially of half widows by Indian forces during 1989 to 2016.[3] The Indian army forces often raid the homes especially of the freedom fighters, telling their families that they need to question their sons, and then they disappear. Moreover, the Indian armed forces also abduct people from their workplaces. When spouses and other family members search for their missing loved one, they are moved from one prison or military base to another, with each location offering a new hint. Later, they state that they don’t have the person in their custody.[4] Majority of the half widows have joined the APDP to investigate their missing husbands. Nevertheless, they have found comfort zones in the idea that their husband’s disappearance or death was a result of their struggle for the freedom of their motherland.
