New Delhi– Both India and Pakistan should fulfil their obligations under international human rights law and end the atmosphere of impunity to rights violations in Kashmir, Amnesty International India said on Thursday.
It said the UN report on the human rights situation in Kashmir on both sides of the Line of Control reaffirmed the demands of various domestic and international human rights organisations to deliver justice for human rights abuses, and protect the freedoms of all people in Kashmir.
In a statement, Amnesty International India Executive Director Aakar Patel said: “Both India and Pakistan should fulfil their obligations under international human rights law and end the atmosphere of impunity in Kashmir by conducting effective, impartial, and independent investigations into human rights abuses by armed forces.”
They should also end the use of repressive laws and respect the right of all people to peacefully express their opinions, he added.
The 49-page report issued by the UN Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR) in Geneva on the human rights situation in “Indian-Administered and Pakistan-Administered Kashmir”, detailed human rights violations and abuses on both sides of the Line of Control and highlighted a “situation of chronic impunity for violations committed by security forces”.
The Indian government has outright rejected the report, terming it “overtly prejudiced and seeks to build a false narrative”.
Amnesty International India also noted that the UN human rights body said it had made repeated requests to both India and Pakistan over two years for unconditional access to both sides of the Line of Control, but had been refused access. (IANS)
