North Kashmir’s 4,056 unmarked graves

OVER 90% BELONG TO FOREIGN, LOCAL TERRORISTS

- PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

A new field study has challenged the longstanding “mass grave” narrative in north Kashmir, concluding that more than 90 per cent of the 4,056 unmarked graves investigated belong to foreign and local terrorists.

The report, titled ‘Unravelling the Truth: A Critical Study of Unmarked and Unidentified Graves in Kashmir Valley’, is based on the study conducted by the Kashmir-based NGO Save Youth Save Future Foundation (SYSFF).

Researchers led by Wajahat Farooq Bhat, Zahid Sultan, Irshad Ahmed Bhat, Anika Nazir, Muddasir Ahmed Dar and Shabir Ahmed physically inspected and documented 373 graveyards across the border districts of Baramulla, Kupwara and Bandipora in north Kashmir and Ganderbal in central Kashmir.

“The organisation, which is funded by people, started this project in 2018 and completed the groundwork in 2024. After that, we were preparing the report for submitting to various government offices. The report can stand testimony to counter any narrative that is being dictated from across the border to spread panic in the Kashmir valley,” Wajahat Farooq Bhat said.

Using a rigorous methodology that included GPS tagging, photographic documentation, oral testimonies and an analysis of official records, the study aimed to provide evidence rather than relying on unverified accounts.