Anuj Swarup, India’s First Secretary at the Permanent Mission, asked the UN Human Rights Office to release a report on Pakistan’s handling of violence in Pakistan‑occupied Kashmir, where dozens of protestors and security personnel have reportedly been killed since June.
He cited the UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk’s appeal for calm in PoK ahead of the July 27 Legislative Assembly elections, noting that the High Commissioner had called for investigations into killings by armed forces and for lifting internet restrictions that have crippled the region.
Swarup criticized the OHCHR for “extreme selectivity,” arguing that its focus on PoK while ignoring similar abuses elsewhere undermines trust in multilateral institutions.
“India will continue to work with the High Commissioner in a spirit of trust and partnership,” he said, recalling that the Indian Constitution guarantees the same fundamental rights to people in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh as to any other citizen.
The UN Human Rights Office is expected to issue its findings by the end of the month, a move that will compel Pakistan to provide a detailed response and could trigger a formal complaint from New Delhi.
In Rawalakot, a family of twelve reports that the internet shutdown has halted school lessons, medical appointments, and their ability to contact relatives abroad, underscoring the human cost of the political impasse.