Woman who engineered Kashmir’s street terror

The conviction of Asiya Andrabi, the burqa clad Kashmiri secessionist with a soft-terror background along with her close associates Sofi Fehmeeda and Nahida Nasreen, marks a significant moment in holding organised separatist mobilisation legally accountable.

- VIVEK SHARMA

Asiya Andrabi emerged as a most notorious force behind prolonged unrest in Kashmir, particularly during the 2010 strife that brought daily life to a standstill for months. While radicalised street urchins, politicians describe as misguided youth, occupied the streets, intelligence agencies believed that Asiya Andrabi operated quietly through a wide women-led network spread across villages and neighbourhoods. Alongside separatist leader Masarat Alam, she is believed to have helped turn sporadic protests into sustained and organised so-called agitation.