Women’s lives in Kashmir have been routinely disrupted by conflict. Women with remarkable courage and resilience have participated in the development of the region. They have contributed in all the fields organised as well as unorganised, in Kashmir. The women in the region have not received the attention they deserve. Very less has been written academically about them. The present book under review “Women’s Development Amid Conflicts In Kashmir: A Socio Cultural Study” by academic, and researcher, Dr. Shazia Malik published by Patridge discusses women’s development in Kashmir since 1947, focussing on education, health, property rights, movements, resistance and employment.
Shazia as a sociologist has deeply understood the position of women in Dogra rule, post independence period, women’s development in these periods, impact of insurgency and violence on women and their rights, role of state and non state actors, and different women’s movements in Kashmir which the book discusses in detail. Shazia has critically researched the work of different scholars, researchers, academics who have worked on Kashmir like Bashir Ahmad Dabla, Aneesa Shafi, Rita Menchanda, Urvashi Butalia, Seema Kazi, Nyla Ali Khan and others. She has criticised Aneesa Shafi’s work “Working Women In Kashmir” by misleading the title for it doesn’t include women working in the unorganised sector. The author has praised Urvashi’s anthology on Kashmiri women “Speaking Peace, Women’s voices from Kashmir” but not her bias against Kashmiri muslims and including only one essay of Kashmiri muslim women which includes majority of population more than 90%.
The book discusses in detail the women’s movement in past, since first rebellion during Maharaja Gulab Singh’s time in Gilgit to present times of Muslim Khwateen Markaz, Dakhtaraani Millat but misses to highlight the role played by Bakhtawar Behenji, sister of iconic lady Parveena Ahangar in the formation of Muslim Khwateen Markaz and her role in Kashmir resistance. The author even mentions the names of women killed, brutalised, raped by state during different times with both statistical and analytical framework. The author has extensively quoted APDP, JKCCS reports. On page 38, the author writes about Begum Abdullah and praises her work in 1947 for not allowing communal riots in Kashmir. However, it was during this time that lakhs of Muslims were massacred. The author writes about heroic role of different Kashmiri men and women played in the development of women in Kashmir like Miss Fazili, Miss Mehmooda Ali Shah, Begum Zainab and the forgotten legend Mohammad Subhan Hajam who led agitation against prostitution and implementation of Prevention of Immoral Trafficking Act. On Page 102, the author discusses how rape is being used as a weapon in conflict situation, and how it has been used in Kashmir.
The book doesn’t discuss the Free Mason Society run by Miss Mehmooda Ali Shah in 1931, her activism against patriarchy. It also doesn’t discuss in in detail the Women’s Welfare Association run by Zamrooda Habib which was the first organisation after 1947 of which both Pandits and Muslims were members. Despite these shortcomings this book is a must read for all those who want to know about women lives and its various dimensions in Kashmir. The price being affordable for everyone just 399 INR. Shazia has done a great job by writing a book on the topic on which not much has been written.
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