Kashmir Conflict through a Woman's Perspective: A Feminist Reading of Nayeema Mehjoor's Lost in Terror

Jammu and Kashmir has been an apple of discord between India and Pakistan for the last 75 years, over which the two nuclear-powered neighbours have fought four wars that resulted in its bifurcation and caused enormous destruction to life and property. Nayeema Mehjoor's Lost in Terror is set in the turbulent times of the 1990's when militancy was at its peak in Kashmir. The present article examines how armed conflict affects people differently depending on their sex, and how women have been its worst victims. Among many predicaments which Kashmiri women face, sexual exploitation and gender-based violence are the two worst occurrences, having substantial psychological implications. This article dissects Nayeema Mehjoor's Lost in Terror from a feminist perspective, and understands the conditions of women and the trauma the characters face as representing the women of Kashmir.