Journalist: Mubeen Ashraf

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1. UNHRC’s Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in its Forty-
first session took a fresh look at the National report submitted on India.
2. The UPR is a unique process which retrospect’s the condition of human rights in
all the UN member states on a periodic basis.
3. The three country representatives serving as rapporteurs (“troika”) for the review
of India were: Sudan, Nepal and the Netherlands.
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4. During the latest periodic review on India, 130 member states made 339
recommendations highlighting some of the most urgent human rights concerns
in the country especially focusing on increasing violence against religious
minorities and caste-based discrimination.
5. International community has remained warry of the gruesome violations of
International Humanitarian Law pursued by Indian Army in the Kashmir.

6. The US state department’s 2021 country report on human rights practices in

India has reiterated the above facts.
7. Furthermore, United States-based NGO, Council on Minority Rights in India
(CMRI) published a report: “Religious Minorities in India”, while citing 294 cases
of hate crimes against Christians, Muslims and Sikhs.
8. Continuing on the trajectory of regression in human rights under the auspices of
ultra nationalist: Modi, India has remained oblivious to recommendations
proposed by previous UPR sessions.

9. Draconian counterterrorism and national security laws are being employed to

persecute human right activist and journalist raising voices for the marginalized
Dalits, Adivasi community and Muslims.

10. The revocation of special status of Jammu & Kashmir and passing of a citizenship
law that defines religion as the basis for citizenship. Revocation of Art 35-A was
done to engineer demographic alteration and pursue genocide and ethnic
cleansing of native Kashmiris in a systematic way.

11. Furthermore, laws have been enacted against cow slaughter to prosecute
Muslims.

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12. A number of countries raised apprehensions over the Foreign Contribution
Regulation Act (FCRA), the law used to regulate foreign funding for
nongovernmental organizations.
13. On 17 November 2022, the House of Lords was scheduled to debate the following
question for short debate:
14. “Lord Hussain (Liberal Democrat) to ask His Majesty’s Government what
assessment they have made of human rights in India, particularly in Kashmir”.
15. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, minister of state for the Middle East and UN, said in
October 2022 that the government raises human rights issues directly with the
Indian government.

16. International community has to do more than lip-servicing to ensure the

resolution of Kashmir issue as per UN documents reflecting the wishes of the
Kashmiri people.
17. However, as the material prevails over the morals in international politics; will
international community act differently?