Washington, November 15, 2019 : The United States lawmakers during a Congressional hearing on human rights have once again expressed concerns about the grim situation in Jammu and Kashmir. The United States (US) lawmakers during a Congressional hearing on human rights organized by the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission once again expressed concerns on the continued restrictions, detentions and curbs on religious freedom in occupied Kashmir. Indian-American Congresswoman and Democrat, Pramila Jayapal, at the hearing said that she was deeply concerned by Indian government’s actions in Kashmir including detaining people without charge, severely limiting communications and blocking third parties from visiting. She was joined by other Democrats, Sheila Jackson Lee, David Trone and David Cicilline as well as Arunima Bhargava, commissioner from the US Commission on International Religious Freedom who criticized New Delhi for its moves in occupied Kashmir in the aftermath of the abrogation of the special status of the territory. Similar concerns were raised by a congressional hearing last month. Witnesses examined the situation in the occupied territory and recommended action by the Congress, similar to the last hearing held on October 22, 2019.
The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, a bi-partisan commission, held the hearing on Thursday to examine the human rights situation in Kashmir in its historical context, a statement issued at the Commission’s website said.
India had on August 5 revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir by repealing Article 370 of the Indian Constitution and announced its division into two Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. These two UTs came into existence on October 31. India had also put the occupied Jammu and Kashmir under severe military siege and communications blockade on August 5.
Indian-American Congresswoman, Pramila Jayapal, at the hearing said that she was deeply concerned by Indian government’s actions in Kashmir. “To detain people without charge, severely limit communications and block third parties from visiting, is harmful to our close and critical relationship,” the Democrat said.
She was joined by other Democrats Sheila Jackson Lee, David Trone and David Cicilline, who criticised India’s actions after scrapping Kashmir’s special status.
Arunima Bhargava, commissioner from the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), said that the rights of Muslim communities were being curtailed because of Indian government’s actions. “Throughout the country, political and community leaders are promulgating an ideology that suggests that to be Indian is necessarily to be Hindu and views India’s religious minorities as subordinate or foreign,” she told the hearing. “India’s religious minorities currently stand at a precipice. If the Indian government continues on its current trajectory, their livelihood, rights, and freedoms could be in serious danger,” she pointed out.
On occupied Kashmir, Bhargava said, “USCIRF is concerned about reports starting in August that the Indian government restricted freedom of movement and assembly in Jammu and Kashmir, limiting people’s ability to attend prayers and participate in religious ceremonies; forestalling any large gatherings, including for religious purposes; and for certain communities, curtailing access to healthcare and other basic services.”
She said mobile and internet services were denied to Kashmiris and healthcare was withheld by the Indian government. “USCIRF has also seen reports of mosques being closed; imams and Muslim community leaders arrested and detained; and violence and threats towards residents and businesses in particular,” she told the Commission.
Bhargava, who is of Indian descent, said the restrictions in the region impacted the ability of people to “practice their faith”, visit their places of worship and exercise their rights. She claimed this was targeted at a certain community.
Indian columnist and political commentator Sunanda Vashisht, tried to justify the Indian government’s decision to revoke the special status of occupied Kashmir by saying, “The Indian Constitution which is modelled on the US Constitution, is the most liberal document in the world. The Constitution was not applicable in totality until Article 370 was in force.” She also claimed that plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir is never going to happen.
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“We have concerns about Kashmir, and we are watching the situation very closely,” says Eliot L. Engel, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, as another congressional panel reviews the consequences of India’s decision to revoke the valley’s special status.
“We have concerns about Kashmir, and we are watching the situation very closely,” says Eliot L. Engel, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, as another congressional panel reviews the consequences of India’s decision to revoke the valley’s special status.
But that’s not enough for Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, who wants a House resolution to send a clear message to India that forces New Delhi to reconsider its policies in occupied Kashmir. Jayapal is the first woman of Indian descent to be elected to the US House of Representatives.
Another US lawmaker, Senator Chris Van Hollen, backs a recent amendment to a Senate appropriations bill that mentioned the restrictions in occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
At a gathering at the Islamic centre in Howard County, Maryland, on Tuesday, Senator Van Hollen urged the Indian government to “abide by international human rights laws and uphold democratic freedoms” for the people of Kashmiri.
Senator Van Hollen, who recently visited India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, also criticised the Indian government for refusing to let him visit Jammu and Kashmir by the Indian government. Speaking to a group of Kashmiri Americans at the residence of a Pakistani physician, Dr Asif Mahmood, Congressman Engel also expressed concern at the situation in Kashmir and assured the people of Kashmir that their basic human rights will be protected.
Last month, Dr Mahmood helped arrange a congressional hearing on Kashmir, which was described by the Indian media as “the most critical examination that any Indian action has received in a panel of US House of Representatives since the 1998 nuclear tests.”
The Congressional Commission’s Thursday hearing is equally important for highlighting the Kashmir cause and exposing India’s atrocities in the occupied valley. So is Congresswoman Jayapal’s effort to move a House resolution to “send a clear message to New Delhi” on Kashmir.
The Indian media, while commenting on her effort, compared her to a Republican congressman, Dan Burton, who constantly raked India over the coals on Punjab and Kashmir,wrote a major Indian newspaper, The Economic Times.
The newspaper’s warned that Ms Jayapal’s move could embarrass India like what Congresswoman Ilhan Omar did last month during the hearing on South Asia, when she openly challenged New Delhi’s claims on Kashmir.
In a statement to the media, the Lantos Commission noted that India’s decision to change the legal status of the Muslim-majority region of Jammu and Kashmir, announced in August and effective as of October 31, 2019, “has attracted intense attention due to persistent reports of human rights violations.” It also noted the crackdown on freedom of expression; the arbitrary “preventive” detention of hundreds of politicians, lawyers, journalists, and other civil society figures and related fears of enforced disappearance; and the use of excessive force against protesters.
The commission noted that the increased militarization of the region, and the economic and social consequences of India actions had also provoked widespread concern. “Although India’s decision was sudden, the situation in Jammu and Kashmir has been of concern for years,” it added.
The statement also mentioned a 2018 report by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), which documented human rights violations in the region and issued recommendations on a wide range of issues including civilian killings, deaths during security operations, blanket restrictions on journalists and independent observers, misuse of anti-terrorism legislation, and protection of religious minorities.
The commission also referred to a follow-up OHCHR report in July 2019, which found little improvement and reiterated the “urgent need to address past and ongoing human rights violations and to deliver justice for all people in Kashmir.” sources