ABSTRACT
The chapter is an introduction to the investigation of human rights (HR) abuses in Indian-administered Kashmir, which form Part 1 of the book. It is focused primarily but not solely on the Kashmir Valley, but it does not neglect the narratives of other regions – Jammu and Ladakh – which constitute the former state of Jammu and Kashmir, now bifurcated into two Union Territories. The chapter enumerates the key research objectives of Part 1, which provides a comprehensive understanding of the nature of these abuses to investigate their institutionalised, systematic and systemic patterns with multidimensional consequences. Not only Indian security forces are responsible for the acts of violence against Kashmiri civilians and deprivation of their rights and freedoms but also Pakistan-supported militants waging their jihād in the name of pan-Islamism and some local hard-line separatists have made their own contribution.
