India rejects UN report on rights violations in J&K
External Affairs Ministry said the report issued by the OHCHR violates India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity
conflict that has robbed millions of their basic human rights and continues to this day to inflict untold suffering,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad al Hussein.
“This is why any resolution of the political situation in Jammu and Kashmir must entail a commitment to end the cycles of violence and ensure accountability for past and current violations and abuses by all parties and provide redress for victims,” he said.
“It is also why I will be urging the UN Human Rights Council to consider establishing a commission of inquiry to conduct a comprehensive independent international investigation into allegations of human rights violations in Kashmir,” Zeid said.
The UN report focused mainly on alleged serious violations committed in Jammu and Kashmir from July 2016 to April 2018. Activists estimated that up to 145 civilians were killed by security forces and up to 20 civilians killed by armed groups in the same period, it said.
India reacted strongly to the report with External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar saying: “India rejects the report. It is fallacious, tendentious and motivated. We question the intent in bringing out such a report.
Calling it “a selective compilation of largely unverified information”, Kumar said the report “is overtly prejudiced and seeks to build a false narrative”.
Stating that terrorism is the most egregious violation of human rights, the spokesperson said that yet the authors have conveniently ignored the pattern of cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan and territories under its illegal control.
“Cross-border terror and incitement is aimed at suppressing the will of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, disrupting its political and social fabric and undermining India’s integrity,” he stated.
“It is disturbing that those behind this report have chosen to describe internationally designated and Unproscribed terrorist entities as ‘armed groups’ and terrorists as ‘leaders’. This undermines the Un-led consensus on zero tolerance to terrorism.”
Kumar, in his response, said that the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India.