The children of IIOK.

What's more beautiful than the innocence of childhood? Laced with dreams of wonderland and stories of utopian fantasy, it is a time in life laden with perfection and prettiness of the creative little minds. Everything seems beautiful in the haven of childhood innocence-far away from the brutal realities of life. But this innocence of the children of Kashmir is being snatched at a tender age by the tyrannous and atrocious cycle of violence, whipping the Kashmiris in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, for the last seven decades.

Children who grow in active conflict zones like IIOK are deprived of a normal childhood as they are shoved into the harsh actualities of life too soon. As they open their eyes, they are exposed to violence and become aware of the struggle of the Kashmiris for their freedom. There are countless tales of the sufferings of these children. It's unfathomable to fully comprehend the horror these children experience every day. Every trip to the market comes with an uncertainty; if all of the family members will be back safe and sound. Their homes are barged into by paramilitary Indian forces and they witness their elders, fathers and brothers being dragged, beaten, arrested and women of the house disrespected. Going out on the streets, they are unsure of what quandaries await them. Young boys can be questioned and beaten for no reason at all. Young girls can be harassed and be subjected to inappropriate behaviour.

Last year, a viral photo of a toddler posed on the slain body of his grandfather shocked the world. Shooting an elderly man in front of a three-year-old wasn't enough, adding insult to the injury, he was made to sit on the dead body of his grandfather as the photos were taken and shared.

The violations of human rights in IIOK by the Indian security forces are massively determined by their use of pellet guns on the Kashmiris. Thousands have been critically injured and dozens died at the barrel of this noxious weapon. Hundreds of people including children are blinded. Some of them even got injured while they were in their home and became victims of stray pellets. Dozens losing their lives and hundreds losing their sight, Amnesty International compiled a 109-page book displaying the ill-fated victims of pellet guns to draw the attention of the international community. Asrar Ahmed, an avid student and zealous cricketer was returning home from playing cricket when he was hit when ISF opened fire at a crowd...