A new study of 4,056 unmarked graves in four infiltration-prone districts in Jammu and Kashmir has found only nine such graves in which civilian were buried while foreign militants were buried in 62% of them.
The report by Save Youth Save Future Foundation titled ‘Unraveling the truth: A critical study of unmarked and unidentified graves in Kashmir valley’ by Save Youth Save Future Foundation examined 373 graveyards in Baramulla, Kupwara, Bandipora and Ganderbal.
The research combined ground surveys with GPS mapping and interviews of clerics, gravediggers, families of militants, local residents and even surrendered insurgents.
“Most carried no identification, a deliberate tactic to conceal networks and protect sponsors. With Islamabad consistently denying links to these fighters and refusing to claim their bodies, burials took place anonymously in Kashmiri villages. By refusing to acknowledge these men, Pakistan has tried to maintain plausible deniability while disowning its own citizens. Not only that, the findings also undermine allegations of mass extrajudicial killings and secret burials,” the report said.
Local militants accounted for 1,208 graves, or about 30%, many of which were identified and claimed by families. The study also traced 70 graves to 1947, believed to be of tribal raiders during the first war with Pakistan.
{{/usCountry}}Local militants accounted for 1,208 graves, or about 30%, many of which were identified and claimed by families. The study also traced 70 graves to 1947, believed to be of tribal raiders during the first war with Pakistan.
{{/usCountry}}The report called for transparent investigations into 276 unmarked graves, mainly in Baramulla, urging DNA testing and involvement of families with missing members to provide closure. “Justice must not be denied to anyone, and truth must be disclosed however difficult it may be,” the report stresses.
The study acknowledges that Kashmir’s conflict has claimed lives across all sections. According to government figures, since the early 1990s nearly 14,091 civilians and 5,356 security personnel have died in the violence. The report notes that while militants — both local and foreign — account for the overwhelming majority of graves, civilian casualties cannot be dismissed. Some unmarked graves, it concedes, may belong to civilians killed in crossfire, fake encounters or other tragic situations.
.