Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 4, 2026

Dukhtaran-e-Millat

Dukhtaran-e-Millat was an all-women Kashmiri separatist organisation that advocates for jihad to establish Islamic law in Kashmir and for the independence of Jammu and Kashmir from India and accession to Pakistan. It is a front organisation of the Hizbul Mujahideen, a jihadist militant group.

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Daughters of the Nation
Dukhtarān-e-Millat
دُخترانِ مِلّت
Other nameDaughters of the Faith
Leader
Asiya Andrabi (POW)
Dates active1993 – 2018
Active regionsJammu and Kashmir
IdeologyIslamism
Jihadism
Separatism
Political positionFar-right
StatusDefunct

Dukhtaran-e-Millat (transl. Daughters of the Nation; abbreviated as DeM) was an all-women Kashmiri separatist organisation that advocates for jihad to establish Islamic law in Kashmir and for the independence of Jammu and Kashmir from India and accession to Pakistan.1 It is a front organisation of the Hizbul Mujahideen, a jihadist militant group.23

The group was founded in 1987, and is headed by Asiya Andrabi, an "Islamic feminist".4 During the Kashmir militancy in the early 1990s, the group issued threats to women not wearing a face veil and burqa, some of whom became victims of acid attacks.5

The Government of India designated it a terrorist organisation and banned it in 2018.6

The group mainly advocated through internet platforms rather than armed activity. On 2018, NIA arrested its leader Asiya Andrabi and her secretary for promoting terrorist activities, after her arrest the group became inactive and is considered as defunct.7

References

References

  1. Dukhtaran-e-Millat. satp.org
  2. Behera, Navnita Chadha (2006), Demystifying Kashmir, Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press, p. 154, ISBN 978-0-8157-0860-5
  3. Swami, Praveen (13 March 1999). "The revival of communalism". Frontline, The Hindu. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  4. An Islamic Feminist: Asiya Andrabi and the Dukhtaran-e-Millat of Kashmir Archived 3 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine Francesca Marino, Journal of South Asia Women Studies, Vol. 12 No.. 1 (3 December 2010)
  5. Schofield, Victoria (2003) [2000], Kashmir in Conflict, London and New York: I. B. Taurus & Co, pp. 173–174, ISBN 978-1860648984
  6. "List of Banned Organisations". Ministry of Home Affairs, GoI. Government of India. Archived from the original on 3 May 2018. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  7. "Jammu & Kashmir: Incidents and Statements involving Dukhtaran-e-Millat (DeM) : 2018". SATP. Retrieved 23 March 2025.