Daily Times

The US House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia held an extensive hearing on the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IoJ&K) earlier this week. Although the hearing was about human rights in South Asia, Kashmir remained the core issue.

Several congressmen and congresswomen such as Brad Sherman (chair of the committee), Sheila Jackson Lee (Co-Chair of Pakistan Caucus), Abigail Spanberger, Anthony Brown, Tom Malinowski, David Cicilline, Ilhan Omar and Pramila Jayapal amongst others expressed deep concerns and dismay over New Delhi’s actions since August 5 when Articles 370/35A were revoked unilaterally.

Almost all of them agreed that preventing US diplomats and senators from visiting the volatile valley, cutting off key communication lines and causing rampant shortage of basic food and medicinal supplies implied that India is hiding something from the international community. Some of them even questioned India’s pluralism and democratic values as the world’s largest democracy since its actions were akin to dictatorship.

Those who testified at the hearing had quite a diverse view on the crisis. For example, the testimonies of US Department of State officials such as Acting Assistant Secretary Alice Wells and Indian journalist Aarti Tikoo Singh (known for being a government mouthpiece) were inclined towards placing the onus on Pakistan-based militant groups such as Jaish e Muhammad (JeM) and Lashkar e Tayyiba (LeT). It was clear that their intentions were to deflect, justify and defend New Delhi’s gross violations (regardless of admitting the fact that it’s a humanitarian crisis). Congresswoman Jackson Lee pointed out that Pakistan has made immense sacrifices in the War on Terror (WoT) and taken concrete steps to contain militancy on which Wells once again tried to play down. Perhaps, she needs to deeply introspect her stance since subtle appeasement of New Delhi was at the expense of Washington-Islamabad ties. Ties between the two countries are of pivotal importance and State Department officials need to thread carefully when making public statements of such nature.

Others present at the hearing to testify such as Dr Nitasha Kaul of the University of Westminster, London and Angana Chatterji of the University of California, Berkeley were apt in identifying the role played by the Indian government and armed forces in fuelling the crisis to suit their sinister goals. Although the official figures provided were in hundreds for the arrests made under the draconian Public Safety Act to the committee, the two scholars revealed that up to 4000 Kashmiris are behind bars since the revocation of the special status.

Nevertheless, New Delhi must lift the blockade and pave way for the right to self-determination as per the aspirations of the Kashmiri people. It cannot be allowed to get away from its illegal annexation of the valley which further alienated the locals. India’s transformation in a fascist state must ring alarm bells since Kashmir is a key nuclear flashpoint globally. *