Decades of rights violations on both side of Kashmir’s ‘Line of Control’ should be the subject of a high-level international probe, the UN human rights chief said late last week.
Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, made the call after a report issued by the UN Human Rights Office released last Thursday detailed numerous allegations of human rights violations in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir between July, 2016 – when unprecedented demonstrations erupted after Indian security forces killed the leader of an armed group – and April, 2018.
The violations include alleged excessive use of force by Indian security forces that have led to what the report calls “numerous” civilian casualties. The report cites estimates that up to 145 civilians were killed by security forces over the period and 20 others killed by armed groups over the same timeframe.
The report asked the UN Human Rights Council to look into the “possible establishment of a commission of inquiry to conduct a comprehensive independent international investigation into allegations of human rights violations in Kashmir”.
Zeid said the conflict between India and Pakistan “has robbed millions of their basic human rights, and continues to this day to inflict untold suffering”, noting that as a a result, any “resolution of the political situation in 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”.
“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,” he said.
Zeid also called on Indian security forces to exercise maximum restrait and abide by international standards governing use of force.
