UN human rights chief wants Pulwama attackers brought to justice

By Arul Louis

United Nations, Feb 20 (IANS) UN Human Rights High Commissioner Michele Bachelet has called for bringing those responsible for the Pulwama terrorist attack that killed 40 CRPF troopers, to justice.

Her spokesperson Rupert Colville said in Geneva on Tuesday that Bachelet "strongly condemns the suicide bomb against the Indian security forces in the Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir on the 14th of February and calls on the authorities to bring those responsible to justice".

"We hope the escalating tensions between the two nuclear armed neighbours, India and Pakistan, will not add further to the insecurity in the region," he said during a videocast briefing.

In a carefully worded statement that acknowledged that Indian authorities have taken actions to tackle situation, he said that Bachelet was concerned by reports "that some elements are using the Pulwama attack as justification for threats and potential acts of violence targeting Kashmiri and other Muslim communities".

"We hope that the government will continue to take steps to protect people from all forms of harm that may be directed to them on account of the ethnicity or their identity," Colville said.

Bachelet has previously come under criticism from India over her remarks about the human rights situation in Kashmir and Colville's statement took care to show balance.

She has continued to press her predecessor Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein's request to send a fact-finding mission to Kashmir, which India has rejected.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed on Twitter @arulouis)