Pakistani Cleric Claims Women in Kashmir Were Systematically Exploited by Militant Networks

A prominent Pakistani cleric has alleged that militants operating in Kashmir, with alleged support from elements within the establishment, systematically exploited vulnerable women in refugee camps.

Mufti Syed Khan, a Deobandi cleric from Pakistan and a former close aide to ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan, made the startling claim during a public address titled “Kashmir and Our Hypocrisy.” In what he described as a candid admission, Khan spoke about the darker realities of the insurgency, alleging that women refugees were coerced into providing sexual favours in exchange for basic food and survival necessities.

According to Khan, insurgents often referred to as “mujahideen” preyed upon displaced Kashmiri Muslim women and girls living in refugee camps, forcing some to “sell their bodies for a piece of bread.” His remarks painted a grim picture of exploitation and abuse within spaces meant to offer shelter and protection.

Senior intelligence sources in India described Khan’s statement as a rare internal acknowledgement emerging from within Pakistan’s religious-political ecosystem. They said the remarks significantly undermine Pakistan’s long-standing narrative of what it has projected as a “pure jihad” in Kashmir.

Speaking to News18, intelligence officials said the statement exposes what they describe as a shadow-war strategy in which Pakistan-backed militant groups, allegedly armed and financed by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), have systematically targeted local populations. According to these sources, Khan’s remarks serve as a crucial validation of India’s long-held claims regarding the role of the ISI in sponsoring proxy militant networks.

The sources further stated that India had previously shared documentation on such allegations with international partners, and that Khan’s public remarks lend “significant weight” to those records because the disclosure has originated from within Pakistan’s own establishment-linked circles.

Officials also said the cleric’s comments lend rare internal credibility to international human rights reports that have documented allegations of sexual violence, coercion, and mistreatment of civilians by foreign-funded militant groups in the region.

By bringing what he called the “dark reality” of the conflict into the open, Khan’s statement, they said, reinforces decades-old allegations of human rights violations in the region and delivers a serious blow to the credibility of Pakistan-backed militant narratives. It also highlights how groups claiming to fight for Kashmiri rights may, in fact, be responsible for exploiting some of the region’s most vulnerable civilians.