Even as Congress backs Modi government, Jignesh Mevani has this to say about the UN's human rights report on Kashmir

In a deplorable development, Jignesh Mevani, an MLA from Gujarat's Vadgam constituency has backed the United Nations' first-ever human rights report on Kashmir.

Taking to Twitter, Jignesh Mevani has shared the United Nations Human Rights office's video about the report which calls for an international inquiry into its allegations. He has shared it with the caption: "Share this widely."

Mevani's tweet comes even as the Congress party has backed the government of India's protest against the report.

Tweeting on the report which is titled "Report on the Situation of Human Rights in Kashmir: Developments in the Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir from June 2016 to April 2018, and General Human Rights Concerns in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan", Congress party's media-in-charge Randeep Surjewala wrote:

Earlier, India's Ministry of External Affairs had termed the report:

"fallacious, tendentious and motivated", and lodged a strong protest with the United Nations, saying the government is "deeply concerned that individual prejudices are being allowed to undermine the credibility of a UN institution."

It added:

"The report violates India's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The entire state of Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India. Pakistan is in illegal and forcible occupation of a part of the Indian state through aggression." 

The 49-page-report, which tries to give an impression that it is balanced in its assessment of the situation in Kashmir, appears on closer inspection to be fatally biased against India. In a series of omissions and lapses, the report refuses to cite Pakistan-based outfits like the Lashkar-e-Toiba as terrorist groups, makes no mention of Pakistan initiating the Kargil War, and doesn't appropriately address its own concession that: "Despite the Government of Pakistan's assertions of denial of any support to these groups, experts believe that Pakistan's military continues to support their operations across the Line of Control in Indian-Administered Kashmir".

The report also states that it is based on "remote monitoring" and not on an on-ground assessment. It lists a variety of publications and reports in India as its sources but for Pakistan, says:

"The quantity and quality of information available on Indian-Administered Kashmir contrasts significantly to Pakistan-Administered Kashmir. Despite challenges, NGOs, human rights defenders and journalists are able to operate in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, generating documentation on the ongoing human rights violations there. Restrictions on the freedoms of expression, opinion, peaceful assembly and association in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan have limited the ability of observers, including OHCHR, to assess the human rights situation there. Nevertheless, OHCHR used the information that is available to address the human rights violations occurring in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan."

Pakistan, meanwhile, has jumped on the report by the UN.