For human rights chief, LeT & Hizbul Mujahideen aren’t terror groups

NEW DELHI: India, while rejecting the UN panel report on human rights situation in Jammu and Kashmir, has rued that the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) chose to ignore assessment by the Financial Action Taken Force (FATF) that has called for enhanced monitoring of Pakistan on account of terror financing.

At the February plenary meet in Paris, FATF decided to put Pakistan in the Grey List and the announcement will be made at the next FATF plenary June-end. However, the OHCHR report has “wilfully chosen to ignore the information”, pointed out persons familiar with the UN process.

The OHCHR was apprised of Pakistan’s support to cross-border terror, including infiltration facilitated by covering fire of Pakistani Army. During 2017, 971 ceasefire violations by the Pakistani Army along LoC and International Boundary were recorded. This year more than 1,000 incidents of unprovoked ceasefire violations have been recorded and 53 terrorists have attempted infiltration so far, the government claimed.


The UN was also told that the security forces have neutralised 1,800 Pakistan-origin terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir since 2004.

There are 18 (6 of LeT; 2 of Hizbul Mujahideen; 2 of JeM and 8 other terror entities) active terrorist training camps in Pakistancontrolled territories, says the government, adding that these include training camps, launching detachments and communication control stations.

The OHCHR report is also notable as it does not describe LeT, FiF, JeM and JuD as terrorist entities.

The report begins with describing Hizbul Mujahideen as an “armed group” ignoring the fact that EU and US have designated these organisations as terrorist bodies.

“The protection of human rights would be best served by an unequivocal condemnation of terrorism. India like any other sovereign state will naturally take all measures necessary to protect its territorial integrity and sovereignty against any such cross-border attacks by state-sponsored terrorist network,” noted an expert dealing with Kashmir and UN.

The government told UN that assessment of human rights should not be a matter of political convenience.