United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Monday expressed concern about the situation in Jammu and Kashmir,and said the National Register of Citizens verification process in Assam has caused great uncertainty and anxiety to the people of the state.

Bachelet asked India and Pakistan to ensure that the human rights of the people of Kashmir were respected and protected. In her openingstatement at the 42nd session of the Human Rights Council, Bachelet said heroffice continued to receive reports on the human rights situation on both sidesof the Line of Control.

“I am deeply concerned about the impact of recent actions bythe Government of India on the human rights of Kashmiris, includingrestrictions on internet communications and peaceful assembly, and thedetention of local political leaders and activists,” she said in her statement.

The UN Human Rights chief said it was important that theKashmiri people were consulted and engaged in any decision-making processesthat has an impact on their future. “While I continue to urge the Governmentsof India and Pakistan to ensure that human rights are respected and protected,I have appealed particularly to India to ease the current lockdowns or curfews;to ensure people’s access to basic services; and that all due process rightsare respected for those who have been detained,” Bachelet added.

India and Pakistan have engaged in a war of words ever sinceJammu and Kashmir’s special status was revoked on August 5. Pakistan, which hasfought three wars with India for Kashmir since Independence, has not taken thedecision well. Several leaders in Jammu and Kashmir were taken into custody orput under house arrest after the state lost its special status. These includeformer Chief Ministers Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah, and former bureaucratShah Faesal.

Jammu and Kashmir was put under prohibitory orders and anunprecedented communications blackout on August 4. Prohibitory orders are beinglifted gradually but the communications blockade remains in most parts. Someprotests have been reported in the region after the decision. India hasmaintained its decisions are its internal matter. Last week, External AffairsMinister S Jaishankar said most countries viewed the Kashmir matter the sameway.

Bachelet said Assam’s National Register of Citizens hascaused great uncertainty and anxiety after more than 19 lakh people wereexcluded from the final list of the updated citizens’ database, published onAugust 31. The number of people left out comprise around 6% of Assam’s entirepopulation, two times the number of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, and thepopulation of Nagaland. They will now have to appeal against the decision inforeigners’ tribunals.She appealed to the Indian government to ensure dueprocess during the appeals, prevent deportation or detention, and ensure peoplewere protected from statelessness.

The Home Ministry last week issued a statement where it saidthat those excluded in the final National Register of Citizens were “not to bedetained under any circumstance” till they exhaust all options for legalrecourse. The ministry said that a judicial process was available for thoseleft out of the register to appeal to the foreigners’ tribunal within astipulated time.