Kashmir Death Certificate Ruling Highlights Decades of Disappearances

A recent court ruling in Indian-occupied Kashmir has granted a death certificate for Abdul Rashid Wani, who vanished from military custody nearly 30 years ago when his son Junaid Rashid was just five years old. This marks the first such judicial recognition among thousands of petitions filed by families seeking answers about missing loved ones. The judge's order acknowledged a police investigation that identified an army officer responsible for Wani's abduction in July 1997, concluding that the officer murdered Wani in custody and disposed of his body. Wani, a timber trader, was reportedly carrying a significant amount of cash when he was stopped near his Srinagar home. His family, including his wife and two children, were awaiting his return for a wedding reception. Junaid Rashid, now 34, expressed that this ruling is a rare acknowledgment of the atrocities committed, stating that the government has finally admitted to the event after 29 years. The ruling declared Wani's death date as the day he disappeared but did not provide information on his burial location. The judgment has reopened deep wounds in Kashmir, a region divided between India and Pakistan since 1947 and heavily militarized since an armed struggle began in 1989. Tens of thousands have been killed and many more disappeared in the ensuing conflict, with approximately 500,000 Indian soldiers currently stationed there. Civil liberties groups estimate that up to 8,000 people have been subjected to enforced disappearances. In 2009, a rights group mapped thousands of unmarked graves in remote areas, with some residents reporting burying mutilated bodies left by security forces. Investigations by Kashmir's State Human Rights Commission identified numerous burial sites, but DNA testing has not been conducted, and the commission was dissolved in 2019. Families like Wani's have faced immense pressure and offers of cash to abandon their searches. The case of Jana Begum, whose husband Manzoor Ahmed Dar vanished in 2002, and other families who spoke anonymously, highlight similar struggles for answers and justice, often met with official silence and legal roadblocks. Despite India signing an international convention on enforced disappearances in 2007, it has not ratified the treaty, leaving the offense uncriminalized domestically. Legal experts note that impunity is systemic in Kashmir, as Indian security personnel can only be tried in civilian courts with special government permission, which has never been granted for human rights abuse cases.