Geneva, March 1, 2012: In Geneva, the United Nations Working Group on Human Rights, in its report submitted to the UN General Assembly, expressed serious concern over the allegations of enforced disappearances and presence of mass graves in occupied Kashmir.
According to 170-page report, the operations by military and paramilitary forces between 1989 and 2009 in Kashmir had resulted in more than 8,000 enforced and involuntary disappearances.
The United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances has expressed concern over the existence of mass graves and enforced disappearance in Kashmir.
The report prepared by the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances stated, “The Working Group is concerned about allegations of widespread enforced disappearances between 1989 and 2009 and the existence of mass graves.”
According to 170-page report, the operations by military and paramilitary forces between 1989 and 2009 in Kashmir had resulted in more than 8,000 enforced and involuntary disappearances.
“In the majority of instances related to enforced disappearances, civilians have been detained during cordon and search operations,” the report states.
The report that covered almost all the continents also acknowledged the findings of civil society groups discovering 2,700 graves, between April 2008 and November 2009, in Baramulla, Kupwara and Bandipora districts.
It maintained that the non-combatant persons were executed extra-judicially. “Numerous exhumed bodies that were found in unknown graves were identified as local inhabitants, both civilian and militant, who were victims of extra-judicial executions. They were labelled afterwards by the Government of India, and the authorities in Jammu and Kashmir as militants,” the report said.
As per the report the acts of violence towards presumed insurgents were deemed as acts of service, which were rewarded and compensated.
The Working Group regretted that India did not respond to its general allegation sent to it on various instances in 2011.
"The Working Group remains concerned about allegations of a widespread practice of enforced disappearances between 1989 and 2009 and the existence of mass graves," read the group’s annual report issued on February 6, 2012.
"According to the Declaration, the Government is under obligation to investigate those allegations and bring to justice those responsible," the report added.
The Working group also noted that between 1989 and 2009, the actions of military and paramilitary forces in Kashmir led to more than 8,000 enforced and involuntary disappearances.
Referring to the existence of about 2,700 unmarked graves in 55 villages of northwest of Srinagar, the group noted that, "The remains of the person should be clearly and indisputably identified, including through DNA analysis securing the full participation of the family and without fully informing the general public of such measures."
Human rights groups have repeatedly accused India of human rights violations in Kashmir but so far, India has not come up with any firm investigation.
“India would be reviewed in the United Nations. There is the Universal Periodic Review of India happening this year. This report by the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances would also form the opinion of the member states regarding what India has been doing on the human rights situation,” Khurram Parvez of the International Human Rights Tribunal told Press TV.
The United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances annual report will be presented during the 96th session of the UN Human Rights Council, which will be held in Geneva from March 12 to 16, 2012.