UK company report alleges ‘war crimes’ at J&K | India News
LONDON: In what Indian authorities see as a Pakistani-backed propaganda exercise, a London law firm has released a report containing alleged testimonies from more than 2,000 people living in Kashmir, who it says provided evidence of “war crimes and violence committed by India in J&K”.
A complaint against the Indian Army, ministers and senior officials has also been forwarded to the Metropolitan Police’s War Crimes Unit calling for an investigation into alleged war crimes committed by Indian authorities in Kashmir.
An Indian source said the company was linked to Turkish authorities and was acting on behalf of Pakistan. He added that the Indian High Commission had not been contacted by any British authority about the complaint against the police. “The report is too frivolous to merit a response. It alleges genocide and human rights abuses, but is completely silent on cross-border terror promoted by Pakistan,” the source said.
The international law firm Stoke White, which has offices in Istanbul and London, specializes in Islamic law and has strong relations with Turkey. He claims to have his own investigations unit based within the law firm which he says is “dedicated to investigating matters of public interest”. He said in a statement that he had passed his report titled ‘India’s War Crimes in Kashmir’ to the Metropolitan Police’s War Crimes Unit this month for investigation and called for the arrest of senior officials for war crimes and torture at J&K.
Last year, the same company filed a lawsuit against the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, accusing them of committing war crimes in Yemen. Saudi Arabia has regional tensions with Turkey. Pakistan, on the other hand, has extended its ties with Turkey, and Turkey is currently trying to project itself as the region’s new caliph and respond to Pakistan’s bidding.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly taken Pakistan’s position on Kashmir while India does not support Turkey’s position on Cyprus. Stoke White was instrumental in securing the Ankara deal for Turkish nationals, which allowed thousands of them to settle in Britain.
The UK has universal jurisdiction over war crimes under the Geneva Conventions Act 1957. In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said: ‘We can confirm that the Metropolitan Police War Crimes Team received a referral on January 18, 2022 regarding allegations of core international crimes allegedly recently committed in the Kashmir region. in India. The War Crimes Team is reviewing the allegations in accordance with CPS (Crown Prosecution Service) guidelines and a decision will be made whether or not to open an investigation.”
The 41-page report claims that testimonies reveal war crimes and human rights abuses at J&K, including extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances and arbitrary detentions, as well as harassment of NGOs and journalists.
But the report peddles Pakistani accounts and refers to PoK as “Azad Pakistani-administered Kashmir” and J&K as “Indian-administered Kashmir.” One chapter says: “Following the repeal of Sections 370 and 35A in 2019, Indian authorities have increased their military might against Muslims in Kashmir. He refers to the revocation of Section 370 as a “structural assault by the Indian government.” It refers to JeM and LeT as “non-state armed groups” and fails to mention that they have offices in Pakistan.
A complaint against the Indian Army, ministers and senior officials has also been forwarded to the Metropolitan Police’s War Crimes Unit calling for an investigation into alleged war crimes committed by Indian authorities in Kashmir.
An Indian source said the company was linked to Turkish authorities and was acting on behalf of Pakistan. He added that the Indian High Commission had not been contacted by any British authority about the complaint against the police. “The report is too frivolous to merit a response. It alleges genocide and human rights abuses, but is completely silent on cross-border terror promoted by Pakistan,” the source said.
The international law firm Stoke White, which has offices in Istanbul and London, specializes in Islamic law and has strong relations with Turkey. He claims to have his own investigations unit based within the law firm which he says is “dedicated to investigating matters of public interest”. He said in a statement that he had passed his report titled ‘India’s War Crimes in Kashmir’ to the Metropolitan Police’s War Crimes Unit this month for investigation and called for the arrest of senior officials for war crimes and torture at J&K.
Last year, the same company filed a lawsuit against the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, accusing them of committing war crimes in Yemen. Saudi Arabia has regional tensions with Turkey. Pakistan, on the other hand, has extended its ties with Turkey, and Turkey is currently trying to project itself as the region’s new caliph and respond to Pakistan’s bidding.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly taken Pakistan’s position on Kashmir while India does not support Turkey’s position on Cyprus. Stoke White was instrumental in securing the Ankara deal for Turkish nationals, which allowed thousands of them to settle in Britain.
The UK has universal jurisdiction over war crimes under the Geneva Conventions Act 1957. In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said: ‘We can confirm that the Metropolitan Police War Crimes Team received a referral on January 18, 2022 regarding allegations of core international crimes allegedly recently committed in the Kashmir region. in India. The War Crimes Team is reviewing the allegations in accordance with CPS (Crown Prosecution Service) guidelines and a decision will be made whether or not to open an investigation.”
The 41-page report claims that testimonies reveal war crimes and human rights abuses at J&K, including extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances and arbitrary detentions, as well as harassment of NGOs and journalists.
But the report peddles Pakistani accounts and refers to PoK as “Azad Pakistani-administered Kashmir” and J&K as “Indian-administered Kashmir.” One chapter says: “Following the repeal of Sections 370 and 35A in 2019, Indian authorities have increased their military might against Muslims in Kashmir. He refers to the revocation of Section 370 as a “structural assault by the Indian government.” It refers to JeM and LeT as “non-state armed groups” and fails to mention that they have offices in Pakistan.