On March 8, Twitter handles originating from Pakistan ran anti-India propaganda on the sidelines of International Women’s Day. J&K Counter Disinformation Centre (JKCDC), an initiative to counter disinformation and propaganda on Kashmir, published a thread providing information on how disinformation was shared on the social media platform painting terrorist sympathisers and separatists as victims.
Propaganda is being run by Pakistani twitter handles and pseudo handles on the name of #WomensDay with the false claim that “Indian government has detained Kashmiri women, including Insha Jan, Asiya Andrabi, Sofi Fehmeeda, Nahida Nasreen & Naseema Bano on baseless charges.”
— Counter Disinformation Centre (@JKCDC_) March 8, 2023
1/4 pic.twitter.com/Gjhzer9CFw
OpIndia checked the handles mentioned by JKCDC, and here is what we found. A Twitter handle WeResist2Exist, published a thread on Twitter claiming atrocities against women in Kashmir. The user primarily listed Asiya Andrabi, Sofi Fahmeeda, Nahida Nasreen, Hina Bashir, Naseema Akhter, Ishna Jan, Rakseem Akhter, Saima Akhter, Tabasum Maqbool and Anjum Younis as “victims”. In reality, all of the women listed were booked by the agencies under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for their links to terrorists and terrorist organisations.
Asiya Andrabi
Asiya is one of the prominent names among the secessionist anti-India forces that have been active in the Kashmir valley for decades. She is the chief of the banned secessionist organisation Dukhtaran-e-Millat (DeM), a pro-Pakistan separatist who has been dreaming for years of freeing Kashmir from India. Dukhtaran-e-Millat is Kashmir’s biggest network of ‘women jihadis’, as claimed by Andrabi herself.
She is alleged to be the backbone behind the stone-pelting apparatus in Kashmir. She supported Pakistani separatist Masarat Alam in the series of stone-pelting rallies across Kashmir using her village network of Dukhtaran-e-Millat operatives. She has several cases against her for instigating terror in the valley.
In addition to instigating terror in the valley, Asiya Andrabi’s anti-national activities include hoisting the Pakistani flag and singing Pakistan’s national anthem at an event in Srinagar. In 2015, the burqa-clad Asiya Andrabi was linked with the Islamic terrorist group ISIS as three youths arrested by Hyderabad Police suspected of joining the Islamic State (ISIS) had made shocking disclosures that they had sought help from her. In 2018, she was again found celebrating Pakistani National Day and giving provocative statements in Kashmir. The National Investigation Agency booked her under UAPA.
Sofi Fameeda and Nahida Nasreen
Sofi Fameeda is personal secretary of Andrabi. Nahida is general secretary of DeM. They were booked along with Andrabi for propagating anti-national activities using social and other media platforms. They were involved in inciting the Kashmiri youth to pick up arms and rebel against India.
Hina Bashir
Hina Bashir is one of the five accused booked by the NIA in September 2020 for their association with the banned terrorist organisation Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), an affiliate of the terrorist organisation ISIS. They were charged with conspiring to generate disaffection against the Government, promoting enmity among different religious communities, and carrying out subversive activities.
Hina and others were plotting to leverage anti-CAA protests to stoke Muslims against the Indian Government by devising new seditious slogans and making graffiti in public places. They had planned to highlight the same on social and international media.
They attempted to create an improvised IED and were scheming to carry out widespread killings in crowded places to propagate the activities and ideology of ISIS/ISKP in India. The investigation agency found they were planning to procure a potent chemical, Triacetone triperoxide (TATP), for the purpose. The chemical is called the ‘Mother of Death’ by Islamic State terrorists.
Naseema Akhter
The Jammu and Kashmir Police booked Naseema Akhtar under UAPA. She is the mother of terrorist Tauseef Sheikh, killed by the security forces in 2018. She was arrested for recruiting youth for terrorist organisations and arranging arms and ammunition, communication and logistics.
Ishna Jan
The security agencies arrested Ishna Jan in March 2020 for providing logistics and food to Adil Ahmed Dar, the notorious terrorist behind the Pulwama bombing. As per reports, the investigation agency NIA found that Jan provided logistics and food during the terrorists’ stay at the house that belonged to her father, Tariq Ahmed Shah, on at least 15 occasions for 2-4 days each time during 2018-19. She was in constant touch with Mohammed Umar Farooq, a terrorist from Pakistan who is an expert in making IEDs.
Raskeem Akhter
Raskeem Akhter is the sister of terrorist Sher Ali, who was accused of inciting youth to join terrorist organisations. She was involved in terrorist activities. As per Jammu and Kashmir Police, Akhter and her father, Mushtaq Ahmed, had received arms and ammunition, including three pistols, IED, and other ammunition. Multiple arrests were made when the police busted the terrorist module. They recovered pistols, grenades and one live IED during raids.
Saima Akhter
Saima Akhtar was a Jammu and Kashmir Special Police Officer. She was booked under UAPA and dismissed from the services in April 2021 for obstructing government officials from doing their job and glorifying terrorism. As per reports, the security forces were conducting search operations to hunt terrorists in Karewa Mohalla of Forsal when she resisted the search party and turned violent. She uttered statements glorifying terrorists.
Tabasum Maqbool and Anjum Younis
The security forces arrested Tabasum Maqbool and Anjum Younis in April 2021 for their involvement in an attack on Bharatiya Janata Party leader Anwar Khan’s house.
A similar thread was made by another Twitter user, rovvmutt, glorifying the women terrorists and painting them as victims on the sidelines of International Women’s Day.
Pakistani news portal The Verified shared a video of Mushaal Hussein Mullick claiming women were facing atrocities in Kashmir. They used the acronym “IIOJK” or “Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir). IIOJK is a propaganda term used by Pakistan and its media when discussing Kashmir in India. Mullick is the Pakistani wife of terrorist-turned-separatist leader Yasin Malik who was convicted of funding terrorism and currently serving life imprisonment. Malik himself admitted in an interview with BBC to killing Kashmiri Hindu Justice Nilkanth Ganjoo and others. He had also been involved in a terrorist attack on Indian Air Force personnel.
Mushaal Hussein Mullick video message in Urdu on International Women’s Day and human rights abuse of women in IIOJK. #InternationalWomenDay #WomensDay2023 #TheVerified pic.twitter.com/Pyi6cNY0pz
— The Verifíed (@TheVerifLive) March 7, 2023
Multiple handles, either originating from Pakistan or funded by Pakistan, shared anti-India posters claiming women are suffering atrocities at the hands of the Indian Government and security forces.
Since terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir is funded by Pakistan, the names read like a Pakistani version of ‘Best Employee’ award on Women’s Day.
