On Thursday, United Nations (UN) human rights experts issued a joint statement raising concern about the deterioration of autonomy in Jammu and Kashmir over the passage of the new domicile laws that allow Indians from outside the state to secure domicile certificates. The statement was issued by Fernand de Varennes, the special rapporteur on minority issues, and Ahmed Shaheed, the special rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, and was released on the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights’ website.
Through the statement, which was released in Geneva, the experts said, “The number of successful applicants for domicile certificates that appear to be from outside Jammu and Kashmir raised concerns that demographic change on a linguistic, religious, and ethnic basis is already underway.” Further, it added that the law nullified the previous protections, such as the “right to buy property, own land, and access certain jobs”, which had been granted to the region’s minorities. Hence, they called upon the Indian government to protect the “economic, social, and cultural rights” of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, including the right to “express their political opinions and participate meaningfully in matters affecting them.”
India was quick to respond to the comments by questioning the experts’ “objectivity and neutrality” on the issue. According to a statement by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs’ spokesperson Anurag Srivastava, it was “deplorable” that the experts had not waited for India’s response to their questionnaire, which had been submitted to the Indian side only on February 10. He said, “Instead, they chose to release their inaccurate assumptions to the media.” He added that the fears referred to by the experts were “baseless and unfounded”, as an “overwhelming majority of domicile certificates issues in [Jammu and Kashmir] are to the erstwhile Permanent Resident Certificate holders.”
Moreover, he reminded the experts about the abrogation of Article 370, which revoked the special status of the region, saying that the decision allowed the “people of Jammu and Kashmir to enjoy the same rights as the people in other parts of India.” Therefore, he called upon the experts to “develop a better understanding” of the issue before publicly declaring “hasty conclusions.”
The statement by the UN experts came on the same day that a group of 24 foreign envoys from several Asian, African, and European countries concluded their visit to Jammu and Kashmir. Following the trip, several representatives released statements appreciating the “visible change” in the region. According to Eritrean ambassador Alem Tsehaye Woldermarian, the visit was an “eye-opener” that “improved the understanding of important issues concerning Jammu & Kashmir.” Further, the envoys also expressed their interest in investing in the region and helping the Indian government develop a two-year development model.
The European Union (EU), on the other hand, called for conducting early assembly elections, which it believes would further the progress towards normalcy in the region. The European official making the announcement said that the envoys’ visit allowed the European representatives to “see the situation on the ground and interact with local interlocutors as part of the EU’s outreach to all stakeholders.” He added that the EU also looks forward to continuing dialogue with the Indian side on the issue.
India Slams UN Human Rights Expert Over Kashmir Comment
After a Human Rights expert from the United Nations raised concerns about the domicile law in Kashmir, India questioned their “objectivity and neutrality”.
February 22, 2021
SOURCE: ANI