India is livid over UN JK narrative

Report asks India to "respect self-determination of the people of Kashmir;" seeks probe into "all civilian killings since July 2016" and "the excessive use of force including use of pellet guns

India is livid at a UN report on alleged human rights violations in Kashmir and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and termed the document as "fallacious and motivated".

In the report, the UN body has laid out recommendations for both countries and very controversially asked India to "respect the self-determination of the people of Kashmir".

The UN human rights body chief, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, has called for an investigation into "all civilian killings since July 2016" and also into "the excessive use of force by security forces, including serious injuries caused by the use of pellet guns." The report says India must stop using pellet guns for crowd control.

Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein also said he would urge the Human Rights Council "to consider instituting a Commission of Inquiry to conduct a comprehensive independent international investigation into allegations of human rights violations in Kashmir." A Commission of Inquiry is one of the UN's highest-level probes, generally reserved for situations like the conflict in Syria.

A furious ministry of external affairs in New Delhi also lodged a strong protest with the United Nations, saying the government is "deeply concerned that individual prejudices are being allowed to undermine the credibility of an institution like the UN."

"The report violates India's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The entire state of Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India. Pakistan is in illegal and forcible occupation of a part of the Indian state through aggression," the ministry said in a strongly-worded statement.

Taking objection to the UN using terms like "Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan" for Pak Occupied Kashmir, the MEA said "The incorrect description of Indian territory in the report is mischievous, misleading and unacceptable. There are no entities such as 'Azad Jammu and Kashmir' and 'Gilgit-Baltistan."

The MEA also said terrorism was the most "egregious violation" of human rights and yet the authors of the report have conveniently ignored the pattern of cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan and territories under its illegal control.

The MEA said it was disturbing that those behind the report have chosen to describe internationally designated and UN-proscribed terrorist entities as "armed groups" and terrorists as "leaders".

"This undermines the UN-led consensus on zero tolerance to terrorism,’’ the ministry said.

The report has also focussed on "involuntary disappearances in Kashmir’’ and mentioned that there has been little movement towards credibly investigating complaints, including into alleged sites of mass graves in the Kashmir Valley and Jammu region."

The report has also given a detailed account of protests and incidents of alleged excesses by the security forces since 2016.

The UN has asked Pakistan to end its "misuse" of anti-terror legislation to persecute peaceful activists and quash dissent. It has also asked it to fully respect international human rights law obligations in Pakistan-Administered Kashmir.

The External Affairs Ministry called the report a selective compilation of largely unverified information which is "overtly prejudiced" and seeks to build a false narrative.

The Congress party has backed the government and expressed its "disregard and condemnation" of the report. "We feel that UN has drafted the report without visiting Jammu and Kashmir. The Congress supports the government's stand," said the party.