Kashmir Advocates Mark International Women’s Day, Highlighting Women’s Rights in Dallas
By: Raja Zahid A Khanzada
Dallas: Marking International Women’s Day, the advocacy organization Friends of Kashmir hosted a special program focused on women’s rights in Irving, Texas, drawing community leaders and a large number of women from across the Dallas–Fort Worth area.
The gathering centered on the challenges faced by women in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, a topic speakers described as both a humanitarian and political concern that continues to resonate with diaspora communities.
Ghazzala Habib, chairperson of the event, addressed the audience by highlighting the struggles endured by Kashmiri women under what she described as prolonged political repression. In her remarks, she specifically referenced Kashmiri leader Asiya Andrabi and her fellow activists, who remain imprisoned in India. According to Habib, their imprisonment reflects the broader cost faced by those advocating for Kashmiri self-determination and freedom.
Several other speakers also addressed the gathering, including Maulana Aseel Khan, Ashraf Bashir, Barkat Baseeria, Fatima Mir, Tallat Khan, and Zainab Ali, each emphasizing what they described as persistent human rights violations, arbitrary detentions, and the hardships endured by women in the region.
Speakers argued that Kashmiri women have lived for decades under conditions marked by conflict, political uncertainty, and social hardship, and they urged the international community to take greater notice of their plight.
Members of the audience also shared reflections during the program. Among those who spoke were Raja Zahid Akhtar Khanzada, Inam Sherwani, Salman Abidi, and other community figures, who reiterated solidarity not only with Kashmiri women but with oppressed women around the world.
Participants concluded the event with a collective appeal to the international community to take meaningful steps toward safeguarding the rights of Kashmiri women and promoting justice and peace in the region.
The evening concluded with an iftar dinner, bringing attendees together in a gesture of community and reflection during the holy month of Ramadan.
