Geneva — The UN human rights chief on Thursday called for a major investigation into abuses in Kashmir, as his office released its first-ever report on violations committed by both India and Pakistan in the disputed territory. Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein said he would urge the UN Human Rights Council, which opens a new session next week, "to consider establishing a commission of onquiry (COI) to conduct a comprehensive, independent international investigation into allegations of human rights violations in Kashmir". A COI is one of the UN’s highest-level probes, generally reserved for major crises such as the Syrian conflict. The UN report, which is particularly critical of India, highlights "chronic impunity for violations committed by security forces". India’s foreign ministry rejected the report, blasting it as "fallacious" and "tendentious". The findings, described as the first of its kind for Kashmir, come after months of deadly clashes along the border that divides Kashmir into zones...
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