Memorial for missing persons in Kashmir

By Shujaat Bukhari

SRINAGAR, JULY 18. There were very few dry eyes at the Eidgah cemetery as three small children laid the foundation for a memorial for nearly 3000 people, who have `disappeared' in Kashmir's 12 years of bloodletting. The function was organised by the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP), which has managed to bring together many of whose relatives have disappeared during the turmoil.

Adil Badyari (10) knows what is happening in Kashmir. ``He (his father) was taken away by security forces several years back and there is no clue about his whereabouts'', he said.

Those whose kith and kin have disappeared mostly in custody after having been arrested by various security agencies have not reconciled themselves to the loss. They want the memorial to come up so that ``this will become a binding force for us though we are united and are fighting the cases together''. Dilshada, having three kids, is yet to come to terms after the shock she received when her husband was picked up by security forces in 1997 and has not been seen since. She has nothing to fall back upon and is waging a grim battle for existence.

For Sara, her son was born after his father disappeared in custody. ``His repeated queries about Farooq (his father) are painful as I have no answers'' she sobs. Many of them, like Parveen Ahangar, whose son was taken into custody in 1990, will continue to fight for those who disappeared in custody. ``I will not allow these things to happen to others'' she says.

A leading civil liberties activist, Mr. Parvez Imroz, who is the patron of the APDP, said the memorial will be raised at a cost of around Rs. 20 lakhs.

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