Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir continues to reel under violent and brutal occupation and political injustice as the world observes Human Rights Day today.  A report released by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service on this occasion stated that while the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) of December 10, 1948, was a milestone, Kashmiri human rights continue to be violated with impunity. 

Despite India’s formal commitments to international human rights instruments, every fundamental right guaranteed under the UDHR—including life, liberty, dignity, movement, expression, property, and fair trial—continues to be denied to millions of Kashmiris.  An alarming record of state violence since 1989 shows that 96,480 Kashmiris were killed, including more than 7,400 custodial deaths. Over 110,000 homes were destroyed, 179,759 people arrested, 22,991 women widowed, and 11,269 women molested or disgraced.

These abuses have intensified since India’s 2019 revocation of Articles 370 and 35A, which dismantled Kashmir’s limited autonomy and facilitated widespread demographic engineering. Since then, 1,047 Kashmiris have been killed, 32,816 arrested, and 1,168 structures destroyed.  The report also highlights the increasing use of lethal weapons, including pellet shotguns, which have caused mass blindness and permanent disabilities. Testimonies from victims and findings by international organizations underscore the brutality of these tactics. 

Economic repression is a core component of India’s strategy. Industrial collapse, destruction of homes, seizure of 192 properties in 2025 alone, mass termination of Muslim government employees, and the shutdown of cross-LoC trade have deepened economic desperation. Youth unemployment, among the highest in India, has reached crisis levels, with joblessness among young women estimated at nearly 50%. 

Recent crackdowns—including arbitrary arrests, home demolitions, torture, and communication blackouts—have been condemned by UN Special Rapporteurs, who warn that India’s actions violate multiple international laws, including the UDHR, ICCPR, and Geneva Conventions. Experts emphasize that counter-terrorism is being used as a pretext for collective punishment, profiling, demographic alteration, and suppression of political dissent. 

The report situates current abuses within a historical pattern of constitutional manipulation, beginning with Sheikh Abdullah’s dismissal in 1953 and culminating in the 2019 revocation of autonomy. India’s refusal to allow a UN-mandated plebiscite, combined with insistence on bilateralism, has created a permanent state of denial for Kashmiri self-determination. Ultimately, evidence demonstrates that India’s actions in Kashmir constitute systematic violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.

Military occupation, demographic engineering, economic strangulation, and suppression of civil liberties demand urgent global intervention. Kashmir today remains not merely a conflict zone but an active site of structural oppression, where human rights are suspended, voices silenced, and basic dignity denied. 

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)