Both India and Pakistan have pursued their own agendas in Kashmir while suppressing the demand for greater autonomy, the International Crisis Group said in a report titled, "Steps Towards Peace: Putting Kashmiris First." "Replacing military-led counterinsurgency with accountable policing and reviving an economy devastated by violence and conflict, would instil greater confidence among Kashmiris," the report released Thursday said. "It is in New Delhi's interest to be regarded as a sincere partner committed to improving Kashmiri lives, not as an occupying force," it said.
India has an estimated 700,000 occupation soldiers in occupied Kashmir, fighting nearly a dozen Mujahideen groups since 1989. More than 68,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed since the '89 uprising and subsequent Indian crackdown.
The Brussels-based organisation urged New Delhi and Islamabad to devolve authority to Kashmir's elected representatives and take "other vital steps to win over its alienated public." The region "remains heavily militarised, and draconian laws that encourage human rights abuses by security forces remain, fuelling public resentment that the militants could once again exploit," the report said.
Human rights workers have complained for years that innocent people have disappeared, been killed by government forces in staged gunbattles. International Crisis Group also pressed Pakistan to rein in rebels launching attacks on Indian forces. "Another Mumbai-like attack would have a devastating impact on bilateral relations and could conceivably bring the nuclear-armed neighbours to the brink of war," it said.