Lead
Junaid Rashid was five years old when his father vanished from military custody nearly three decades ago, one of the thousands who disappeared during the armed rebellion in Indian-administered Kashmir. After years of searching and court battles, a judge in the contested Himalayan territory declared what Rashid already believed: his father, Abdul Rashid Wani, was dead. The ruling, issued in April, is the first such decision among thousands of petitions for the disappeared, a rare recognition that many other families still do not have of their loss.
Coverage Comparison
Al Jazeera and Dawn both reported the ruling, focusing on the family's long struggle and the systemic issues surrounding enforced disappearances in Kashmir. Al Jazeera highlighted the "rare recognition" of the disappearance, while Dawn emphasized the legacy of impunity, noting that Indian security personnel can be tried in civilian courts only with special government permission. Both outlets quoted Junaid Rashid and referenced the rights group Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP).
Key Claims
The court's judgement ordered the issuance of a "death certificate" and acknowledged a police investigation that identified the army officer who took Wani into custody in July 1997. According to the police probe and Wani's family, Wani, a timber trader, was stopped near his home in Srinagar while carrying "a good amount of cash" on his way to pay suppliers. That evening, his wife and two children sat "all dressed up," waiting for him to return and take them to a wedding reception. "He never came back," Rashid told AFP.
The ruling, citing the inquiry, stated that the accused, an army major, "had murdered Abdul Rashid Wani in his custody and had disposed of his corpse." It records the date of Wani's death as the same day he vanished but gives no information about where his body lies.
The APDP estimates there could be as many as 8,000 disappeared people in Kashmir. Dawn also reported that at least 50 requests from local authorities for prosecution were made after police investigations found prima facie evidence of human rights abuses, including enforced disappearances.
Perspectives
Junaid Rashid, son of Abdul Rashid Wani: "The government has now, after 29 years, acknowledged in court that such an atrocity was done," Rashid said, now 34. He added, "If this had happened earlier, I think Kashmir would look different. Our lives would look different, and my mother's health would be something else."
Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP): The rights group, which advocates for families of the disappeared, has previously highlighted the scale of the issue, with estimates of up to 8,000 disappeared persons in Kashmir.
Legal framework in India-administered Kashmir: Dawn noted that Indian security personnel can be tried in civilian courts only with special government permission, a factor that complicates prosecutions in cases like Wani's.