UN chief's spokesperson declines to comment on UN Human Rights chief's report on Kashmir

The spokesperson for UN chief Antonio Guterres has refused to comment on the UN Human Rights High Commissioner’s report on alleged rights violations in Kashmir, saying that it was for the UN Human Rights chief to speak on the issue and member countries how they evaluate its content.

In June 2018, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein had submitted a report on alleged human rights violations in Kashmir and called for an international inquiry into the human rights situation in the Valley.

India, however, had rejected the report terming it “fallacious, tendentious and motivated” and slammed the UN Human Rights Chief for the selective compilation of largely unverified information.

Also Read | India rejects UN report on human rights violation in Kashmir, terms it 'motivated'

"Well, I'll let the High Commissioner speak for himself. I know he spoke to the press here yesterday. Beyond that, you're aware that his office has come out with a report on Kashmir, and it's up to the members of the Human Rights Council to evaluate the contents of that report," UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters at the daily press briefing.

Haq made these remarks while responding to a Pakistani journalist’s question on a recent New York Times report on Kashmir that appeared to affirm the UN Human Rights High Commissioner's report on Kashmir.

The UN Human Rights chief’s report, however, found no support from the other member states, neither was it taken up for consideration during the last session of the Council in Geneva in June.

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