In a rare briefing with the then US ambassador to India, the ICRC in 2005 expressed concern over alleged human rights violations in Kashmir and spoke about torture in detention centres, though it pointed out that the situation was much better than in the 1990s.
The International Committee for the Red Cross stressed that it was not asking for US government action, but may seek to mobilise support in the future, “if its relations with the GOI do not improve,” says the secret cable coming out of the US embassy in New Delhi.
Made public by WikiLeaks, the cable signed off by the then US ambassador to India David Mulford, is dated April 6, 2010 and has been classified by the then deputy chief of mission Robert Blake, who now is the assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia. The US has accused WikiLeaks, of stealing its secret cables. However, it has refused to either deny or confirm the authenticity of these cables. The name of the ICRC briefer has been deleted from the cable by WikiLeaks.
“XXXXXXXXXXXX reported that during recent ICRC interactions with the GOI, officials have maintained that the human rights situation in Kashmir is ‘much better than it was in the 1990s,’ a view he also agreed with,” it said. —PTI