By The South Asia Times 

LONDON (TSAT) - A first ever legal action initiated by a UK based legal firm against the Indian civil and military officials over alleged human rights violations in disputed Jammu and Kashmir.

The 41 pages detailed application that filed with Metropolitan Police’s War Crimes Unit in London by a renown law firm Stoke White consisted on many evidence to prove the involvement of the Indian security forces in war crimes and human rights violations committed in Kashmir.

The application moved under the universal jurisdiction’ on war crimes under the Geneva Conventions Act 1957 — including other grave offences and said that UK under the international law enable the prosecution of those accused of committing international law violations in Kashmir, despite the offence taking place outside the UK and irrespective of nationality.

During two year investigation, the London based law firm interviewed relatives of the victims, human rights activists and collected evidence of war crimes and human rights violations which committed by the Indian forces in the disputed valley.

“The Universal Jurisdiction filing requests the United Kingdom’s Metropolitan Police to investigate the case of Zia Mustapha, a minor who has been detained by Indian authorities

for 18 years without any successful charges or prosecution against him, and the systematic torture of a human rights defender, Muhammad Ahsan Untoo, by Indian authorities in J&K,” the law firm said in its report.

The firm requested the UK to investigate and arrest senior officials from the Indian authorities for carrying out such war crimes and torture in Jammu and Kashmir.

Currently, the Hindu nationalist BJP party, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is ruling the country since 2014, his close aid Amit Shah look after the country powerful Home Ministry while Gen. Manoj Mukund Naravane is leading the country army.

The law firm requested to investigate and arrest these senior officials and arrest whenever landing in the UK.

“The SWI [Stoke White Investigations]-unit is concerned that India’s long-standing occupation of J&K vis-a-vis its national army, paramilitary-troops, border security force, special task force and other defence committees has systematically violated international human rights law and international humanitarian law.”

The firm also included several cases in its report and said the Indian forces carried out extra-judicial killings of Kashmiri people.

“The report focuses on war crimes and human rights violations in J&K including: extrajudicial killings, torture, pellet gun violence, enforced disappearance and arbitrary detention,” its said.

The law firm in its report also revealed that Israeli intelligence agency agents have been allowed by the Indian government to station in Kashmir and torture the innocent Kashmiri.

“[Its] is not limited to, counter-terrorism legislation that facilitates policies that permit foreign agents to conduct interrogations in what, evidence suggests, is a security and defence partnership. So the ‘War on Terror as an enabler of human rights abuses’ section includes: ‘India’s counter-terrorism in practice’, Israel’s intelligence officers conducting torture in J&K under the pretext of counter-terrorism, ‘Israel cashing in on India’s emerging drone warfare’, and ‘Sports and counter-terrorism’.”

The report also included that the Indian government victamized the human rights defenders, journalists,NGOs and  lawyers through raids , illegal actions and violence.

“Since 2019 there has been an increase of raids on lawyers, human rights practitioners and journalists, creating a new layer of fear among Kashmiris,” its added.

“The investigation finds a systematic nature to the crimes conducted by Indian authorities against Kashmiris, in terms of their violence, which includes the above violations as well as

rape and the arrest and detainment of minors,” its added.

Its said that India’s military and police personnel enjoy full impunity in a legal environment that criminalises dissent, especially Muslim dissent.

“Furthermore, this report notes that India’s security and defence engagements with Israel mean that there is evidence that Israel’s intelligence officers have conducted interrogation

and torture in the name of ‘research’, in full acquiescence of the Indian authorities in J&K. This demands fuller investigation and is the subject of ongoing evidence gathering.”

So far, the Indian government has not issued any statement regarding the report, however New Delhi always deny the reports of human rights violations in Kashmir.

Kashmir is already heavy militarised region in the world where India deployed hundred thousand soldiers from last several decades.

According to some reports, nearly 100,000 Kashmiri people have been killed in last 30 years by the Indian forces as Kashmiri resisting against India and want to allow them to exercise their right of self-determination under the UNSC resolutions.

Kashmir is held by India and Pakistan in parts and claimed by both in full. A small sliver of Kashmir is also held by China.

Since they were partitioned in 1947, the two countries have fought three wars -- in 1948, 1965 and 1971 -- with two of them over Kashmir.