UNHRC chief asks govt to involve Kashmiris in decisions

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, on Monday, asked Government of India to ease restrictions in Jammu and Kasmir (J&K) and to consult local people and involve them in the process of making decisions.

She also expressed concern over the exclusion of 1.9 million people from the National Register of Citizen of Assam in north-eastern India.

“It is important that the people of Kashmir are consulted and engaged in any decision-making processes that have an impact on their future,” Bachelet said in her remarks at the opening of the 42nd regular session of the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights in Geneva. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said that she was “deeply concerned” about the impact of the recent actions by the Government of India on human rights of Kashmiris.

New Delhi has reached out to most of the members of the UN Human Rights Council to stonewall any attempt by Pakistan to raise the issue of J&K and to criticize India during the session.

Pakistan and China launched a diplomatic campaign against India in the wake of the recent decisions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Government to strip Jammu and Kashmir of its special status and to reorganize the state into two Union Territories.

Bachelet on Monday said that her office continued to receive reports on the human rights situation on both sides of the Line of Control (the de facto border between India and Pakistan) in Kashmir.

“While I continue to urge the Governments of India and Pakistan to ensure that human rights are respected and protected, I have appealed particularly to India to ease the current lock-downs or curfews; to ensure people's access to basic services; and that all due process rights are respected for those who have been detained,” she said.

“The recent National Register of Citizens verification process in the north-eastern Indian state of Assam has caused great uncertainty and anxiety, with some 1.9 million people excluded from the final list published on 31 August,” said Bachelet, adding: “I appeal to the Government to ensure due process during the appeals process, prevent deportation or detention, and ensure people are protected from statelessness.”