India Slams U.N. Rights Office Report On J&K
- 08-Jul-2019
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New Delhi: The UN Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) on Monday said India and Pakistan had failed to improve the situation in Kashmir and not taken any concrete steps to address the numerous concerns raised in its earlier report.
Last year, the Office of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights released its first-ever report on Kashmir, urging action by both countries to reduce tensions.
A UN human rights report on the situation in Kashmir and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir from May 2018 to April 2019, says the number of civilian casualties reported over the 12-month period may be the highest in over a decade, the new report from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said.
The update made wide ranging recommendations to the governments of India and Pakistan, and urged the Human Rights Council (HRC) to explore possibilities of setting up an international commission of inquiry into the allegations of human rights abuse in Kashmir.
Responding to the new report, India said it had extended legitimacy to cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan. ‘It is a matter of deep concern that this update seems to accord a legitimacy to terrorism that is in complete variance with UN Security Council positions,’ said External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar. He described the report as part of the continued ‘motivated narrative’ against Indian sovereignty and integrity.
India also said the update has distorted its policy on the Kashmir issue and failed to recognise that the Indian state ensured justice through a strong judiciary and national human rights mechanism.
