This is the joint written contribution by Kashmir Law and Justice Project and the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) for review of India under International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights—141 Session of Human Rights Committee (01 Jul 2024 - 02 Aug 2024). It focuses on issues that have emerged in Indian-administered Kashmi rsince August 2019 (when the list of issues prior to submission of India's fourth periodic report was adopted). It describes a broad set of violations pursuant to the ICCPR and provides a series of recommendations.

In April 2024, Indian authorities continued to commit grave human rights violations in Indian-administered Kashmir (IAK). Indian forces killed at least six people and continued their ongoing and systematic campaigns of mass arbitrary detention and property expropriation, including houses and agricultural land. Indian authorities continued to criminalize any form of dissent, including by pursuing at least two people for online expression.

In March 2024, Indian authorities continued to commit grave human rights violations in Indian-administered Kashmir (IAK). Indian forces killed at least one person and escalated their ongoing, systematic campaign of mass arbitrary detention in the lead-up to Indian elections. Indian authorities banned several pro-self-determination groups. While free speech and assembly remain criminalized, Indian authorities coerced participation in BJP rallies.

In February 2024, Indian authorities continued to commit grave human rights violations in Indian-administered Kashmir (IAK). Indian forces continued to systematically arbitrarily detain people, raid homes and expropriate property, including houses and agricultural land. The Indian government extended the ban (instituted in 2019) on Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir (JeI) and banned several other pro-rights organizations. The Indian government passed laws to further disempower Muslims in IAK.

This brief summarizes what the British colonial Treaty of Amritsar (1846) is, why it is critical to Kashmiri political and legal history, why it is void or invalid as a matter of law and why understanding what it is, and whether it is valid, remain critically important today.