United Nations urges inquiry into human rights violations in Kashmir

GENEVA: The UN human rights chief on Thursday called for a major investigation into abuses in Kashmir, as his office released its first-ever report on violations committed by India in the disputed territory.

Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said he would urge the Human Rights Council, which opens a new session next week, “to consider establishing a Commission of Inquiry (COI) to conduct a comprehensive independent international investigation into allegations of human rights violations in Kashmir.”

A COI is one of the UN’s highest-level probes, generally reserved for major crises like the Syrian conflict.

The UN report, which is particularly critical of India, highlights “chronic impunity for violations committed by security forces”.

India’s foreign ministry rejected the report, blasting it as “fallacious” and “tendentious”.

Pakistan welcomed Zeid’s request for a probe, saying in a statement that it was “consistent with Pakistan’s several calls to this effect since 2016”.

The findings, described as the first-of-its-kind for Kashmir, come after months of deadly clashes along the border that divides Kashmir into zones of Indian occupation and Pakistani control.

Zeid said he met with representatives of both governments following an upsurge of violence in July 2016, triggered by India’s killing of 22-year-old separatist commander Burhan Wani.

Concerned by what the UN termed “large and unprecedented” protests after Wani’s death, Zeid asked for “unconditional access” to Kashmir, but neither government agreed.

His office then began remote monitoring of the region, producing a report covering alleged abuses between January 2016 and April of this year.

India has about 500,000 soldiers in the part of Kashmir it controls, where armed groups are fighting for independence.

‘Unlawful’ killings by India

The findings accused Indian troops of being responsible for some 145 unlawful killings.

Zeid said India needed “to take immediate and effective steps to avoid a repetition of the numerous examples of excessive use of force by security forces in Kashmir”.

The rights office raised particular concern over the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, in place in Indian-administered Kashmir since 1990, which prevents soldiers from facing prosecution without the consent of the central government.

The act has amounted to “virtual immunity” for troops in Kashmir, the UN said, noting that the government has not approved a single case against an armed forces member.

Zeid also called on India to ward off any further escalation in Srinagar, the capital of Indian-administered Kashmir.

Crackdown on dissent

Tensions have spiked there in recent weeks after police were accused of firing teargas and shotgun pellets inside the city’s main mosque and two protesters died after being crushed by paramilitary vehicles.

Amid fears of further unrest over the upcoming Eid holiday, the rights office urged Indian troops “to exercise maximum restraint… when dealing with future protests, including ones that could well occur this coming weekend.”