Engagement & Impact
Our Programmes
Programme · Since 1988
ASR's Programme in Azad Jammu & Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan
Since 1988, the Kashmir conflict has caused thousands of civilian deaths and widespread displacement. Women and girls have been disproportionately affected due to their status in society.
Impact on Women
Women and girls bore a disproportionate burden.
Due to their status in society, women faced compounded consequences — from direct physical violence to social, legal, and economic exclusion — that mainstream peace processes entirely ignored.
- Victims of rape, torture, sexual slavery, and forced pregnancy used as tactics of war.
- Suffered loss of family, displacement, poverty, and psychological trauma.
- Created a large population of widows and "half-widows" with no legal or social recourse.
- Faced restrictions on mobility, employment, and public participation due to fear and violence.
Gap in Peace Processes
Women's voices were absent from negotiations.
Women’s experiences remained largely silent in national and international discussions. No formal mechanisms existed for their participation in peace negotiations or post-conflict decision-making.
The structural gaps ASR identified
No Voice
Silent in national discussions
Women's experiences of rape, displacement, and widowhood were not recorded or presented in any national or international forum on Kashmir.
No Mechanisms
Excluded from negotiations
No formal structures existed for women's participation in peace negotiations or post-conflict decision-making at any level.
The Divide
Separated by the LOC
The Line of Control physically separated Kashmiri women on both sides, preventing solidarity and a unified voice for peace.
Policy Failure
Rights violations unaddressed
Neither Pakistan nor India had created policy frameworks to specifically address human rights violations against women in the conflict zone.
ASR's Response
Mainstreaming women in peacebuilding.
ASR launched a programme built on four interconnected strategies — each designed to address a specific dimension of women’s exclusion from the peace process.
01
Creating forums for documentation and strategy
Creating forums for Kashmiri women to document experiences and develop common strategies — transforming personal testimony into shared evidence for advocacy.
02
Linking women across the Line of Control
Linking women across the LOC to build a unified voice — bridging the physical and political divide between Kashmiri women on both sides of the border.
03
Advocating for policy change in Pakistan and India
Advocating for policy change in both countries to end rights violations — including direct engagement with governments, security forces, and High Commissions.
04
Building women's capacity for participation
Building women’s capacity to participate in government and peace processes — equipping them to move from victims to active agents in conflict resolution.
Activities
On the ground across AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan.
23 focus group discussions across AJK and FANA
- Conducted 23 focus group discussions across Azad Jammu & Kashmir and the Federally Administered Northern Areas (FANA), bringing women from different communities together to share experiences and needs.
- Revisited refugee camps across AJK to follow up with displaced women, document changes in conditions, and identify emerging needs.
- Researched LOC conditions and landmines — building an evidence base on the impact of landmines on civilian women living near the Line of Control.
- Engaged with security forces and high commissions from both Pakistan and India — presenting evidence of women's experiences and advocating for policy responses.
- Facilitated initial steps toward cross-LOC women's meetings — consulting women specifically about their readiness to meet with Kashmiri women on the other side of the LOC.
Landmine Advocacy
ASR raised the landmine issue with the Pakistani Rangers and the Indian Border Police and sent formal letters to them and to the High Commissions of both countries — highlighting the devastating impact on civilian women living near the Line of Control.
Conclusion
A precondition for legitimate and lasting peace.
ASR’s programme positioned women’s agency not as a peripheral concern — but as a fundamental precondition for any conflict resolution process that could claim legitimacy or durability.
"Sustainable peace in Kashmir requires acknowledging women's agency and integrating their experiences into policy and negotiations."
What meaningful peace requires
- Formal recognition of women's experiences of violence, displacement, and loss in peace frameworks
- Mechanisms for women's participation in peace negotiations — as decision-makers, not observers
- Policy changes in both Pakistan and India addressing human rights violations against women in the conflict zone
- Cross-LOC solidarity between Kashmiri women — enabling a unified, transnational voice for peace
- Accountability for the use of sexual violence as a tactic of war, and justice for survivors
- Legal recognition and social support for widows and "half-widows" left without recourse
ASR's Core Position
Acknowledging women’s agency and integrating their experiences into policy and negotiations is not optional — it is a precondition for legitimate and lasting conflict resolution in Kashmir.