Srinagar, Sep 7: A new field study has challenged the “mass grave” narrative in Kashmir, concluding that over 90 per cent of the 4,056 unmarked graves investigated belong to foreign and local terrorists.
The report, ‘Unravelling the Truth: A Critical Study of Unmarked and Unidentified Graves in Kashmir Valley’, was conducted by the Kashmir-based NGO Save Youth Save Future Foundation (SYSFF). Researchers inspected 373 graveyards across Baramulla, Kupwara, Bandipora and Ganderbal.
“The organisation, funded by local people, began this project in 2018 and completed the groundwork in 2024. The report can counter any false narrative being pushed from across the border,” said lead researcher Wajahat Farooq Bhat.
The study used GPS tagging, photographic documentation, oral testimonies and official records. It found 2,493 graves (61.5%) of foreign terrorists killed in counter-insurgency operations, often without identification to hide their networks. Another 1,208 graves (29.8%) belonged to local militants. Only nine confirmed civilian graves (0.2%) were found, contradicting claims of large-scale civilian mass burials.
The researchers also documented 70 graves of tribal invaders from the 1947 Kashmir war. About 276 graves remain unverified, for which the group has called for DNA testing to address humanitarian concerns.
The study engaged clerics, gravediggers, families of militants and locals with long knowledge of burial practices. It argues that claims of state-sponsored mass killings are largely unsupported by ground evidence.
The surge in burials between 1990 and 2000 was attributed to the influx of foreign militants after the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, when Pakistan redirected resources to Kashmir. Groups like Hizbul Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad grew in prominence, bringing radical ideologies, arms and external funding.
“The findings contradict earlier claims of widespread civilian mass graves and suggest that allegations of systematic extrajudicial killings lack empirical foundation,” Bhat said.
The study also urged Pakistan to acknowledge its citizens buried in Kashmir and facilitate family visits, calling its denial a “humanitarian failure” that has prolonged suffering for both Kashmiri communities and Pakistani families.
