(Image source from: Firstpost)

The initial report by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Kashmir that has been released on Thursday focuses chiefly on earnest violations in Jammu and Kashmir between July 2016 and April 2018, alleging 145 killed civilians, including Pakistan ones, by armed groups.

The supreme restraint has been called by UNHCR commissioner Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein and denounced the deficiency of prosecution of Indian forces in Jammu and Kashmir due to a 1990 law that gives them what he called "virtual community".

He as well went on to demand commission of inquiry by the Human Rights Council, opening a thirty-eight session from June 18 to July 6, into all violations, and investigation of mass graves in the state and the Kashmir Valley.

India has spurned the report by United Nations wording it "fallacious, tendentious, and motivated", questioning its purpose in bringing out a selective compilation of largely unproven information to build a false narrative.

The Ministry of External Affairs noted:

"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 the illegal and forcible occupation of a part of the Indian state through aggression. We have repeatedly called upon Pakistan to vacate the occupied territories. 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 motivated report deliberately ignores that fundamental rights and freedoms guaranteed under the Constitution to every Indian citizen, including in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, are protected also by an independent judiciary, human rights commissions, free and vibrant media and an active civil society."

Brahma Chellaney Tweets saying:

Instead of investigating major human-rights abuses in Tibet or Xinjiang, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights releases a Kashmir report, knowing that India—unlike China—is all bark and no bite. This is Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein's parting kick, as his term ends soon

— Brahma Chellaney (@Chellaney) June 15, 2018

Malicious and mischievous report

India regarding its deep concern informed the UNHCR over individual prejudices being allowed to undermine the credibility of UN institution, that such spiteful reports cannot undermine the will of India and measures required in order to protect the Sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country from the cross-border terrorism will be taken.

It has further stated that the report is malicious and mischievous without uncertainty since the reference to Pakistan can best be described as 'in passing', mentioning no figures, as done in the case of India.

Balochistan, where Pakistani genocide is intense has not been mentioned either of Pakistani export of terror. The discovery of mass graves has been reported in the past.

A prospect that the UNHCR report has been initiated at the behest of Beijing and Islamabad, with Pakistan, mentioned otiose in the report to circumvent intuition.

By Sowmya Sangam