Brussels/‎Geneva, (Unib Rashid) – September 16, 2026 Permanent Representative of the World Muslim Congress (WMC) Altaf Hussain Wani has called for an independent international investigation into the use of private military and advanced surveillance technologies by India in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
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‎Speaking during the Interactive Dialogue on Report A/HRC/63/31 at the 63rd session of the UN Human Rights Council, Wani welcomed the report of the UN Working Group on the use of mercenaries and warned that the growing integration of advanced technologies into the operations of private military and security companies was posing serious risks to human rights and accountability.
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‎Referring to the situation in IIOJK, he expressed grave concern over reports of the use of private mallitia, mercenary groups and their involvement in coercive operations against civilians.
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Wani Urges UN Probe into India’s Use of Mercenaries and AI Surveillance in IIOJK. pic.twitter.com/gt8SXnOUCJ

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He said the use of non-state actors in such operations could provide a mechanism for evading accountability for serious violations, including extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances.
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‎Wani drew particular attention to the reported use of sophisticated surveillance technologies in Kashmir, including AI-driven monitoring, biometric tracking and digital surveillance.
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He said the expansion of such technologies had enabled pervasive monitoring of civilians and was increasingly being used to suppress political dissent and target human rights defenders.
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‎He said the deployment of surveillance technologies in Kashmir should not be viewed solely through the prism of security, as their use against civilians raised serious concerns about privacy, freedom of expression, freedom of movement and other fundamental rights.
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‎The WMC representative warned that the convergence of militarisation, private coercive actors and advanced surveillance technologies was creating a particularly dangerous environment in IIOJK, where technological tools could be used to reinforce control, silence dissent and undermine accountability.
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‎Wani called on the Human Rights Council and relevant UN mechanisms to undertake an independent and impartial investigation into the role of private militia and the use of advanced surveillance technologies in IIOJK.
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He urged the council to exert pressure on India to end the weaponisation of private entities and ensure that surveillance technologies are not used to violate the fundamental rights of civilians.
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‎He also stressed that the Kashmiri people must not be denied their fundamental right to self-determination through militarisation, surveillance or other forms of coercive control, and called for stronger international oversight of the human rights situation in the occupied territory.