North Kashmir’s unmarked graves: Over 90% belong to foreign & local terrorists, study finds

Srinagar: A new field study has challenged the long-standing “mass grave” narrative in north Kashmir, concluding that more than 90 percent 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.

The research team documented a total of 4,056 graves, with the data revealing a reality that differs significantly from previous claims made by groups having vested interests, according to the researchers.

As many as 2,493 graves (approximately 61.5 per cent) were identified as belonging to foreign terrorists who were killed in counter-insurgency operations, the report stated.

It noted that these individuals often lacked identification to conceal their networks and maintain Pakistan’s plausible deniability. Around 1,208 graves (approximately 29.8 per cent) belonged to local militants from Kashmir who were killed in encounters with security forces. Many of these graves were identified through community testimonies and family acknowledgements.

The researchers found only nine confirmed civilian graves, a mere 0.2 per cent of the total.

This finding, according to the SYSFF, directly contradicts the claims of civilian mass graves and suggests that allegations of systematic extrajudicial killings have been “significantly overstated”. The study also identified 70 graves of tribal invaders who died during the 1947 Kashmir war, highlighting the historical depth of conflict-related burials in the region.

Bhat emphasised the need for a comprehensive forensic investigation of the 276 genuinely unmarked graves using modern DNA testing to address humanitarian concerns.

It said the field investigation community engagement formed a crucial component of the research methodology, involving semi-structured interviews with a diverse cross-section of stakeholders. These include local clerics and members of Auqaf mosque committees, gravediggers with decades of experience, families of local militants and disappeared persons, long-term residents with knowledge of local burial practices and former militants who had surrendered or were released.

This report debunks the claims of certain advocacy groups and international organisations that have portrayed these burial sites as evidence of state-sponsored atrocities.