Chapter 6 discusses the personal lives of Kashmiri women who grieve the disappearance of their sons and husbands. Whilst the APDP activists are primarily women that display their urgent reaction to the mass chaos that takes place within Kashmir caused by political violence. A woman called Hableh expresses the disappearance of her son, Rafiq. She goes about her day holding Rafiq’s documents in the hopes that these files will help her find her son. A lot of the Kashmiri women who fight for justice hold the same files, as these files are all they have left of their family members. Hableh expresses herself on page 146, “I am bearing the pain of my heart burnt to cinders, I am calling you day in and day out.” (Zia, 2019)
The APDP’s motive is to fight for their rights and bring justice to their family members who have disappeared. The importance of these documents is to prove that those who have disappeared exist and these files validate their reasons to fight for justice. This chapter discusses the journey for women in Kashmir, expressing their pain and grief. Chapter 6 talks about what is happening in Kashmir and helps us understand the impact that is caused by India’s military and legal invasion. Kashmiri women fight and demand independence and freedom. After the invasion, this has caused Kashmiri women to become victims of sex trafficking and forced marriage. Whilst Kashmiri men are kidnapped, arrested, and never to be heard of again. Kashmir citizens express their everyday pain and torture, struggling to survive, and fighting to stay alive.
The CWGE would like to extend a huge thank you to Ather Zia for joining our Book Club on Wednesday to discuss her book Resisting Disappearance: Military Occupation & Women’s Activism in Kashmir and for answering questions from our Book Club. We would also like to thank Ather Zia and her class for joining us during their regularly scheduled class time.
We invite you to register for our Meet the Author Event on Wednesday, April 21 from 3– 4 p.m. as the CWGE will host Ather Zia in a Q and A of her book.
Join the CWGE as we move forward with our book club!
Join us at our final book club meeting as we cover Chapters 6, 7, and conclusion
Wednesday, April 21 from 11 a.m.–12 p.m. on Zoom.
Anyone can join the Spring 2021 Book Club, and at any time! We will continue to read Resisting Disappearance: Military Occupation & Women’s Activism in Kashmir by UNC’s very own Dr. Ather Zia. Join us while we discuss, compare, and contrast the contents of the book with fellow readers! If you are not able to join during our scheduled Book Club meetings, you can still read along with us and get a physical copy of the book (limited quantities available) or receive a digital PDF version of the book all for free!
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