Infertility and stress affecting Kashmiri women

It is like any other day at the valley’s leading gynecologist’s clinic: Crowded and packed with impulsive patients, who have come from different part of Kashmir to the summer capital, Srinagar.

For 17-year-old Maleeha, however, the day has brought anxiousness and worry. On her first visit to the doctor, Maleeha has been diagnosed of severe Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) which she fears will make her infertile.

“I am extremely worried about this problem as it is known to cause infertility,” says Maleeha, who belongs to Baramullah.

Another patient, Andleeb, who has been married for six years, has been visiting the doctor for two years. She suffers from infertility, the cause for which remains unknown.

“I have got every test done but the doctors have not been able to find the reason for my inability to bear children. It has ruined my life,” she says.

Thousands of women in Kashmir are increasingly suffering from infertility. Couples are finding hard to fight the problem which has saddened hundreds of families across the valley.

Leading gynecologist Dr Farhat Hameed says infertility is affecting the younger age group at an alarming rate.

She cites late marriages, hormonal imbalance, unhealthy lifestyles and stress as major reasons for infertility-related problems.

“The marital age for Kashmiri women has risen from 18-21 to 27-35 years. Girls prefer quality education and a good career before marriage. This has affected their child-bearing capacity,” Dr Farhat insists.

Studies at the premier Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Science (SKIMS) indicate 15.7 per cent women at childbearing age will never have an offspring without clinical intervention. A further 14 per cent of women are unable to conceive because of unknown medical conditions.

Dr Farhat added that conflict also gave way to infertility problems for women in the disputed region, due to increased stress levels.

“Conflict has resulted in many psychiatric problems in women, including depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and anxiety, which directly affect child birth.”

According to psychiatric research, 800,000 people in Kashmir – including women – are affected by PTSD.

The problem, once unknown in Kashmir, now affects 10 per cent of its female population, including teenagers and young women.

Gynecologist Dr Sameena says that PCOS is one of the most common disease affecting young women of Kashmir.

“The number of patients diagnosed with PCOS is adding with each day.”

PCOS is a major endocrine disorder which affects women of reproductive age. It is one of the leading causes of infertility across the world.

A SKIMS study of 112 young and adolescent PCOS women found that 65 to 70 per cent of them suffered from psychiatric illnesses, eight patients suffered from obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), five had PTSD, and 27 were depressed.

Over the years, In- Vitro Fertilization (IVF) clinics have raised some hopes for childless women. Kashmir had none until 2003.

IVF procedures, however, are expensive. They cost between Rs.200,000 to 300,000, making them out of reach for majority of the population.

“My husband is a clerk and does not earn much,” says Afsana. “We cannot afford IVF or similar treatments. I am reconciled to not having a child.”

Dr Farhat who runs an IVF clinic admits to the high costs but says “we do provide some concession to poor patients.”

Making things worse for the women are the social ramifications of infertility. Childless women are stigmatised and are looked down upon. Married women face the wrath of in-laws and husbands while unwedded girls fear marriage.

Such fear forces Tasleema Begum to take her 23-year-old daughter, Amber, to another district for infertility treatment to avoid being seen by her family.

“I do not want people to know Amber suffers from PCOS,” says her mother. “Such things are not socially acceptable.”

Thirty-five-year-old Saima who is childless after four years of marriage is regularly abused. “Not a day passes when I don’t face abuse from my husband and in-laws for not bearing children,” she says.

“For me, the torture is two-fold.” The misbehaviour of in-laws hurts her more than childlessness.

“I am trying the best medication and doctors but the rest is in God’s hands,” she says. “Why should women be blamed for it?”

Many women are divorced over their inability to bear children, a trend common in rural areas.

The story about the health of women in Kashmir does not end here. Besides the sick reproductive health, the general health of Kashmir women is fasting deteriorating. Hypertension and orthopedic problems have become common.

According to Dr M.A.Kamili, a leading physician, one of every 10 women above the age of 40 years are hypertensive . Fifty percent of women above the age-group of 60 years are hypertensive. However, the ratio of female hypertensive patients below 40 years of age is 15-20 percent.

Besides age, obesity, excessive intake of salt and unhealthy lifestyles have given rise to hypertension to women in the valley.

“Though the salt requirement of our body is six grams, which is fulfilled by any food we take be it fruit or vegetables, an average Kashmiri takes 20-22 grams of salt. This has resulted in rising ratio of hypertension here,” notes Dr Kamli.

Amongst the orthopedic problem, knee aches and lower back pain are common amongst women, besides osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a disease of bone that leads to an increased risk of fracture. In osteoporosis the bone mineral density (BMD) is reduced, the microarchitecture of the bones is disrupted, and the amount and variety of proteins in bone are altered.

This is attributed to lack of required intake of calcium during and post pregnancy, during lactation period and after menopause. Adding to the causes is overwork, lifting of heavy objects and lack of appropriate exercise.

“Knee ache, back ache and lack of calcium, which lead to osteoporosis” states Dr Manzoor Ahmad Halwai, a local orthopaedician.
According to him, 40 percent of women in Kashmir suffer from calcium deficiency. The problem is more urban than rural because of the sedentary lifestyle in urban cities.

Gynecologist, Dr Afroza Jan reveals that a lack of awareness amongst the women of Kashmir regarding the calcium requirement of their body at various stages has resulted in orthopedic problems.

“Calcium gained from food does not suffice a woman’s requirements. This is because of her biological pressure during pregnancy and lactation period.”

She adds that during pregnancy, a lot of calcium is needed for the health of the child and mother. It is the same during the lactation period.

“But women here do not take calcium supplements at these crucial stages, the result is severe calcium deficiency giving way to orthopedic problems, commonly osteoporosis,” reveals Dr Afroza.

Human Rights Violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir

ZoneAsia-Pk

“In consistence with their policy that in the case of any State where the issue of accession has been the subject of dispute the question of accession should be decided in accordance with the wishes of the people of the State, it is my Government’s wish that as soon as law and order have been restored in kashmir and her soil cleared of the invader, the question of State’s accession should be settled by a reference to the people”.

Lord Mountbatten, Governor General of India, October 27, 1947

The Violence Update Since 1989

Total Killings: 93,712
Houses/Shops Destroyed: 105,936
Orphaned: 107,434
Women Molested: 10,019
Widowed: 22,762

Kashmiris accuse Obama of double standards

* Hurriyat leader disappointed Obama did not condemn rights abuses in IHK

SRINAGAR: Pro-independence leaders in Indian-held Kashmir (IHK) on Tuesday accused US President Barack Obama of double standards for criticising India’s silence on rights abuses in Myanmar while ignoring oppression in their region.

“The US president should have also criticised Indians for killing innocent and unarmed protesters in Kashmir,” said a senior leader of the pro-independence Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front Javed Mir.

“Here we also have peaceful protests that have been met with brute force but Obama choose to remain silent on that,” said Mir, a militant-turned-politician.

During an address to India’s parliament on Monday, Obama chided his hosts for repeatedly having “shied away” from condemning rights abuses in countries like Myanmar.

“When peaceful democratic movements are suppressed, as they have been in Burma (Myanmar), then the democracies of the world cannot remain silent,” Obama said.

“For it is unacceptable to gun down peaceful protesters,” he added. Hurriyat leaders like Mir argued that Obama’s description was a perfect fit for the recent unrest in IHK which saw 100 people killed in street protests, most of them shot dead by security forces.

“We are sad he chose to remain silent on grave human rights violations being committed by Indian troops in Kashmir,” said influential Hurriyat politician Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.

“We had high hopes he would condemn the brutal use of force against peaceful protesters in Kashmir and we are disappointed he didn’t,” Farooq said.

For more than three months, thousands of protesters, fought pitched battles in the disputed territory.

16 hurt as protesters defy curfew in Indian-Occupied Kashmir

SRINAGAR, India – A clash between police in Kashmir and protesters who defied a curfew to demonstrate against the arrest of an anti-Indian separatist left 16 people injured Tuesday.

Masarat Alam, 44, who is known for his fiery denunciations of Delhi, was arrested by police on Monday in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian-administered Kashmir, after evading capture for four months.

Thousands of security forces Tuesday implemented a strict curfew in parts of Kashmir to try to pre-empt protests over Alam’s arrest.

Police said in northern Baramulla district dozens of protesters defied a curfew and clashed with police.

A police spokesman said “11 policemen, including three officers, and five protesters were injured during the clash”, adding that police fired teargas and rubber bullets to disperse the demonstrators, who retaliated by hurling stones.

The situation remained “by and large normal in other parts of Kashmir,” the spokesman said.

Alam had organised anti-India demonstrations in the Muslim-majority region which has been experienced rolling curfews and strikes since June 11, when a 17-year-old student was killed by a police teargas shell.

Since then, more than 110 protesters and bystanders have died.

Meanwhile, a 24-hour standoff between troops and an injured militant who was holed up inside a mosque ended Tuesday with the rebel’s death, police said.

Police said repeated attempts to persuade the militant to surrender had failed. He took refuge in the mosque early on Monday, having been injured in a gunbattle with Indian troops.

“He died of the injuries he had sustained during the encounter. The mosque was not stormed by the troops nor was any fire directed at the religious structure,” a police officer said, wishing to remain anonymous.

The gunbattle outside the mosque in the northern district of Bandipora had left one other militant dead.

Militants have occasionally taken shelter in Kashmiri mosques in the past, with security forces facing the risk of a public backlash in the state if they pursue them.

Separatist militants have been battling Indian rule since 1989 in Muslim-majority Kashmir. At least 47,000 people, more than a third of them civilians, have died in the conflict, according to official figures.

Teenage student shot dead in Indian Kashmir

SRINAGAR, India – Four people were killed Monday when Indian security forces opened fire on stone-throwing protesters during fresh demonstrations against Indian rule in Kashmir, police said.

Kashmiri Muslim protesters throw stones towards Indian paramilitary soldiers during a protest in Srinagar. …

A total of 69 protesters and bystanders have been killed over the past three months, mostly by security forces who have used live ammunition on rallies after being pelted with stones.

The latest deaths, including that of a teenage student, occurred in Palhalan, about 30 kilometres (18 miles) north of the state summer capital Srinagar, police said.

“Security forces opened fire in self-defence after they were attacked with stones during a rally,” a police officer said, asking not to be named.

He said one protester died on the spot while 18 others were wounded.

“One of the injured died on way to hospital,” the officer said, adding that two more of the injured died in hospital.

He said the condition of two others was serious.

The fresh deaths brought more people onto the streets of Palhalan, chanting pro-independence slogans, a local photographer said.

They blocked the main highway and pelted stones at security forces and attacked government buildings.

Witnesses said the slain student was not part of the protest.

Residents told visiting reporters that security forces opened fire at peaceful demonstrations and that no one among the protesters hurled stones.

Authorities have launched a probe into the incident.

“Senior police officers have taken a serious view of the firing. Ammunition of the policemen is being checked to fix the responsibility,” an official statement said.

“Those found involved shall be proceeded against strictly according to law without any favour,” it said.

The killings also sparked protests in Srinagar and the southern towns of Pampore and Awantipora, witnesses said, adding hundreds of people poured on to the streets chanting, “Go India, go back!” and “we want freedom!”

The protests came as Muslims prepared for night-long prayers to mark a key night in the ongoing fasting month of Ramadan.

For nearly three months, crowds of young Kashmiris have defied curfews and pelted stones at the hundreds of thousands of security forces that India uses to keep a grip on the volatile region.

Last Monday, an 11-year-old boy was shot dead by police in the southern town of Anantnag during a violent demonstration against New Delhi’s rule in the Muslim-majority region.

Government forces have struggled to contain the outpouring of anger ignited by the killing of a 17-year-old student by police in early June.

Protests began in the main town of Srinagar and have spread through the Kashmir valley.

In northern Handwara district, Indian soldiers Monday shot dead three suspected militants during a gunbattle, army spokesman J.S. Brar said.

Kashmir Chief Becomes Target of Mounting Public Frustration

CNN

The Kashmiri capital has been dominated by news of stone-throwing protests this summer, but on India’s Independence Day, Aug. 15, it was a shoe – not a stone – that grabbed the headlines. During the morning’s flag-raising ceremony, a police sub-inspector threw his shoe at Omar Abdullah, the state’s embattled chief minister, while Abdullah stood at attention before the Indian tri-color. The shoe didn’t come close to its target, and the policeman was immediately arrested, but the damage to Abdullah’s already battered reputation was done. Abdul Ahad Jan, the shoe-pelter, meanwhile, became an instant hero, as hundreds later gathered outside his house in support.

A shoe is hurled towards Jammu and Kashmir state Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, right, during Independence Day celebration in Srinagar on Aug. 15, 2010

In an interview with TIME a few hours after the incident, Abdullah brushed it aside. “It was a shoe,” he said. “If it had hit me, it probably would have caused a bruise, but that’s about it.” The police claim that Jan was mentally unstable and had been suspended previously, but so far they have been unable to explain how, in that case, he was allowed into the VIP seating area. “I would obviously like to know how somebody got into the main enclosure who clearly had no business being there,” Abdullah said. “But that’s a job for the police and the investigating agencies.”

The brown leather brogue was only the latest indignity for a man with one of the world’s most thankless jobs: as chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Abdullah must try both to sell the Indian government’s policies to Kashmiris, many of whom would like to be rid of India, and to uphold the interests of Kashmiris in the Indian government. The region has endured decades of conflict, not only between India and Pakistan, whose talks over Kashmir have been stalled for nearly two years, but also between Indian forces and an armed militancy, which was put down after 20 years of brutal conflict.

Still, the dream of “azadi,” or freedom, has never quite died, and Kashmiris’ unresolved issues against India have taken a new form: a mass protest movement against the Indian military presence, symbolized by young “stone-pelters.” Over the last two months, they have been in almost daily conflict, and nearly 60 people have been killed since June 11, most of them shot by security forces. As the death toll has risen, so has public criticism of the official response to the riots, but Abdullah’s pleas for calm have been ignored by protestors, and his calls for restraint have not changed the troops’ tactics.

Every death fuels a new round of protests, and the security forces continue to use live ammunition to fire on protestors armed only with stones. “How do we deal with these protests, and deal with them in a way that we don’t lose more lives?” Abdullah said. “Obviously the security forces need to be as restrained as possible.” But as a state official, Abdullah does not have ultimate control over the central government’s security forces, and Kashmiris complain that he seems powerless to control the forces, let alone address protestors’ demands for a withdrawal of troops, the removal of bunkers and the repeal of draconian security measures that have oppressed day to day life in Kashmir for years. “He will not dare to take any step,” says Rashid, a regular among the stone-pelting protestors. “He cannot.”

Central government officials recently advised Abdullah to go out more among the people and show them that he feels their pain. Like his friend Rahul Gandhi, Abdullah is the scion of a powerful political dynasty, the son and grandson of Kashmiri chief ministers. And like Gandhi, Abdullah faces the widespread perception that he is out of touch with the common man. He has tried to reach out. Abdullah went to console families of the injured last week at Srinagar’s largest hospital, where one angry mother caught him by the collar and berated him. The father of the youngest victim, 8-year-old Sameer Ahmad Rah, when asked whether he would want the Indian Prime Minister to visit, said: “Even Omar Abdullah does not bother about us. So how can you talk about Manmohan Singh?” Abdullah insists that he has tried to help this family but acknowledges that he has not met all of them. “Some I’ve done, some I haven’t,” he says. “At this point, my primary focus is trying to normalize things.”

With another week of protests beginning, that seems like a distant goal, and Srinagar is full of speculation about whether Abdullah may soon resign. He insists that he has not considered it. “It’s my responsibility to bring this state as close to normalcy as possible and that’s my immediate priority,” he says. Even if he does step down, at this point, it may have no impact on Kashmiri anger, which is much bigger than just one man. “New Delhi and the media are very keen to put Omar Abdullah on trial,” says Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, leader of a moderate separatist faction. “People know that our problem is not Omar Abdullah; our problem is New Delhi.”

Curfew Re-Imposed In India-Controlled Kashmir To Prevent Protest

SRINAGAR, Curfew was re-imposed on Monday in Muslim dominated areas of India-controlled Kashmir including Srinagar to prevent a separatist rally to Anantnag town, Press Trust of India (PTI) quoted officials and locals as saying.

The call “Anantnag Chalo” was given by region’s hardline separatist alliance Hurriyat Conference head by jailed leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani to protest the killing of three youth last week in Anantnag district, around 62 km south of Srinagar.

“We have imposed restrictions to maintain law and order,” said a government official posted in Srinagar.

The severe restrictions were re-imposed following a break on Sunday. The authorities Sunday morning lifted restrictions from almost all the areas except Anantnag town where tension is still palpable.

“The relaxation on Sunday witnessed a heavy rush in markets of Srinagar and elsewhere. People swarmed on roads to purchase essentials. Kashmir came back to life after nine days of protests and curfew. But today again life has come to a halt,” said Bilal Ahmad, a local resident of Srinagar.

Thousands of policemen and India’s paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel in riot gear have been deployed across all the major towns including Srinagar city, the summer capital of India-controlled Kashmir to enforce restrictions in wake of the separatist call.

These men have laid barricades and concertina on the roads and streets to restrict movement of people. Similar restrictions have been laid on the roads leading to Anantnag town.

Officials fear relaxation of restrictions would bolster anti- Indian demonstrations.

Anti-India sentiment runs deep in the psyche of majority of Kashmiris.

Last month witnessed massive protest demonstrations in the region following the killing of 11 youth in separate police and paramilitary shooting on protesters.

The volatile situation in the region mounted pressure on Omar Abdullah government, which imposed curfew like restrictions to break the cycle of violence and prevent further civilian deaths.

Businesses, shops, banks, financial institutions schools and government offices remained closed in Srinagar city and other districts in wake of severe restrictions. Traffic is also off the roads.

Troops spreading reign of terror in IHK: Mirwaiz

Kashmir Media Service

Srinagar, In occupied Kashmir, the Chairman of All Parties Hurriyat Conference, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has demanded stern punishment to the police men and paramilitary troopers who have killed three young boys in Islamabad town on June 29. “Our youth are being killed by Indian troops and police with impunity. Eleven youths have been killed since June 11. This is a dangerous trend. We feel that Jammu and Kashmir has been converted into a police state, where there is complete lawlessness,” he said.

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, while taking to media men in Srinagar, said the Hurriyet Conference supports the demands of people of Islamabad town for bringing the accused to book. “Hurriyet will leave no stone unturned to press for punishment to the killers of the innocent youth,” Mirwaiz vowed. The Mirwaiz said the ongoing protests in the disputed state against the killing of civilians in indiscriminate firing by Indian troops and police on peaceful protests were justified. “Peaceful protests will continue till Indian troops pull out from civilian areas,” he said.

“The troopers and policemen have spread reign of terror in the entire valley and the Islamabad district has been turned into a garrison and people are being harassed without any provocation,” he said. “No election, administrative changes or economic packages can be a substitute for the right to self-determination of the Kashmiri people,” the Mirwaiz told a news conference in Srinagar, according to the Kashmir Media Service.

The Mirwaiz pointed out that execution of innocent Kashmiris was going on according to a conspiracy hatched by New Delhi to crush their peaceful movement. “Through brutal use of force, India will not succeed to suppress Kashmiris’ liberation struggle which is based on the principles of justice and international law,” he added.

He said Kashmiris were not averse to talks with India but before starting the dialogue process it should release Kashmiri political prisoners, withdraw its troops and revoke black laws in the disputed state. The APHC Chairman said that the government and people of India should accept the realities and the time had come that the Kashmir dispute should be resolved in proper manner, adding that the Kashmir dispute should be the focus of the upcoming talks between India and Pakistan. “New Delhi should understand the fact that it can’t hold Kashmir by force for long. It will be in India’s national interest to resolve the dispute once and for all,” he said.

Kashmir minister defends police over civilian deaths

The chief minister of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir has defended paramilitary police accused of killing unarmed civilian protesters.

Srinagar is almost deserted because of the strike and the curfew

Omar Abdullah said that the security forces could not be expected constantly to show restraint when they were so often pelted with stones.

There have been 10 civilian deaths at the hands of the security forces this month in Indian-administered Kashmir.

Many of the deaths have been blamed on the Central Reserve Police Force.

‘Exploited’

“Repeated attacks on the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) are making it difficult for us to control the situation,” Mr Abdullah said.

The BBC’s Altaf Hussain in Srinagar says that the chief minister’s comments represent a significant about-turn by the state government.

Earlier this week, Jammu and Kashmir Law Minister Ali Mohammad Sagar accused the CRPF of firing their guns without reason and of being unruly.

Our correspondent says that both the state and the central governments are increasingly concerned about the latest violence, which took place amid some of the biggest anti-India protests in Indian-administered Kashmir for two years.

Mr Abdullah appealed for calm and said young people were being “exploited” in the protests by anti-India forces.

“My appeal to everyone is to help the government restore law and order as soon as possible,” said the young British-born politician, who came to power last year promising to improve human rights.

An indefinite curfew has been imposed in many towns across the region, which Mr Abdullah said was necessary to prevent further violence.

A general strike is also being held throughout Indian-administered Kashmir to protest against civilian deaths.

Shops across the Kashmir Valley are closed and traffic is suspended.

On Tuesday, thousands of police in riot gear patrolled Srinagar while paramilitary soldiers drove through neighbourhoods warning people to stay indoors and not participate in the protests.

But the sense of tension has not stopped a group of about 1,200 Hindu pilgrims from making their annual pilgrimage to Amarnath Shrine in the south of the state.

The pilgrims have over the last decade regularly risked being targeted by militant separatists.

Anti-India sentiment runs deep in Muslim-majority Kashmir, over which India and Pakistan both claim sovereignty and have fought two wars.

Hundreds of thousands of troops are based in Kashmir to fight a two-decade insurgency against Indian rule.

Mobile services suspended, curfew still in place in Kashmir

ZONEASIA-PK

Srinagar: Mobile services have been suspended in north Kashmir and SMS services have been blocked in the entire Valley, with the situation remaining tense on Tuesday morning. Sources said this has been done to stop rumour mongering in an already incendiary situation.

Sources also said curfew would continue in Sopore, the town worst hit by violent protests over civilian deaths allegedly in the use of force by CRPF against agitators. Restrictions under Section 144, which prohibits assembly of more than four persons, are in place in and around Srinagar and Baramulla. Additional companies of the CRPF have been deployed in Sopore.

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