Johannesburg, July 23: The National Prosecution Agency (NPA) of South Africa has clarified that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not be arrested when he lands for the BRICS summit in Johannesburg.

The agency was responding to a plea by the Muslim Lawyers Association (MLA) which had demanded punitive action against Modi for the alleged atrocities being committed against the minorities in India and the local populace in Kashmir.

The lawyers' body, in their petition, had attached the latest report by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). In the OHCHR report authored by Zeid Ra'ad al Hussein, the chief of the human rights' body, India has been blamed for "oppressing the people of Kashmir".

The report claims 145 civilians were killed between mid-July 2016 and March 2018, whereas 20 other civilians were killed in the same time period by the militant groups.

"The political dimensions of the dispute between India and Pakistan have long been centre-stage‚ but this is not a conflict frozen in time. It is a conflict that has robbed millions of their basic human rights‚ and continues to this day to inflict untold suffering‚" UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad al Hussein had said.

Rejecting the possibility of arresting Modi, the NPA said the Indian prime minister enjoys diplomatic and legal impunity. secondly, the agency added, the evidence placed on record is not suffice to initiate a successful prosecution against him.

"The South African authorities engaged the Indian authorities in line with our legal obligations. After evaluating the evidential material‚ information received and the applicable law‚ the NPA decided that there is presently inadequate evidence to sustain a successful prosecution and to support an application for a warrant of arrest‚" NPA spokesperson Luvuyo Mfaku said.

BRICS summit, which features the participation of the heads of states of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa will be held in Johannesburg from July 25-27.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 23, 2018 09:18 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).