Can women play peacemakers in Kashmir?

August 6, 2006 – (IANS) Can women don the role of peacemakers in the strife-torn Kashmir Valley? Can they succeed on the peace table where the men have let them down? Yes and no. While most speakers at a two-day convention on 'Women in Dialogue: Envisioning the road ahead in J&K' drew a picture of near utopia once women became more politically conscious in the state, there were some who were more than a little critical of their roles. Women from Jammu and Kashmir, including from the Buddhist-dominated Ladakh region, deliberated on their roles as peacemakers at meet organised by WISCOM (Women in Security, Conflict Management and Peace), an initiative of the Foundation for Universal Responsibility of the Dalai Lama. The objective of the foundation is to enhance the role of women as peace builders, negotiators and agents for non-violent social change.

Hameeda Nayeem, who teaches English at Kashmir University and is a founder member of the Women Waging Peace, an initiative of Harvard University's Kennedy School, was critical of women's role in the peace process. 'Can women, who bear the brunt of all devastations, succeed where men have failed? We don't want cosmetic empowerment of women - that's like Mandira Bedi on the cricket field,' said Nayeem, whose passport has been confiscated by the Indian government for her activism. 'Ours is a very parochial society. Even if we assume women have a greater role, we need to know who are they representing? Only the daughters of politicians contest polls, that too if there are no sons to carry forward the legacy. This pick-and-choose, arbitrary policy will not work,' she contended.

Nayeem also said that the 'the objectification and commodification of women is complete in Kashmir. The sex scandal is just a case in point'. She was referring to the sex racket involving several VIPs that was busted this year. Besides Nayeem, there were several of the 65 delegates from Kashmir who told IANS they had their apprehensions about women's role in the peace process. Assabbah, a news anchor with the public broadcaster Doordarshan in Srinagar, was equally pessimistic about women's role in the peace process. 'You need to take care of the basics first. Nadine Gordimer said we first need to fill the belly, if we need to sort other problems.' Her colleague Rabia was equally dismissive of the idea. 'We need to educate women first. We need to begin from the scratch,' a very charged Rabia said. Said Khaleda, also a teacher, whose sister-in-law and brother were killed in a crossfire between militants and security forces: 'Restoring peace is a political process. Commoners don't have much say in the process.'

Some speakers, however, were more optimistic about the women's role in the state that has been hit hard by separatist violence since 1989. 'Women should instil secular values in their children. They should revive the concept of tolerance. This will help the peace process,' said Shakti Bhan Khanna, a surgeon in Srinagar and chairperson of the Daughters of Vitesta. The sole representative from Ladakh, Sarla Chawang, exhorted the women of the state to assert their rights. 'The solution to women's empowerment does not lie in retaining their maiden names. They should not bask in this false sense of freedom,' she said. Asked why women were so pessimistic about their role in the peace process, said Ashima Kaul of Athwaas, an NGO that works for the empowerment of women in the state: 'It is a small beginning, an initiative to rebuild relationships at the grassroots level. It is a tedious process, but will give fillip to the peace process.'

From: http://news.monstersandcritics.com/india/article_1187520.php/Can_women_play_peacemakers_in_Kashmir