The only Indian-American Congresswoman in the United States House of Representatives voiced her concerns over the alarming situation in Indian-occupied Kashmir and entreated the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to push India to lift the curfew in the held valley.
According to a report on Indian news website NDTV, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, along with Congressman James P McGovern, pressed that the international media and independent human rights observers must be immediately allowed into occupied Kashmir.
“We urge you to work across the Administration to press the Indian Government to immediately end its communications blackout of Kashmir,” reads a letter written by the two Congress members to Pompeo on September 11.
“US should convince India
to expedite the process of reviewing and releasing individuals ‘preventatively’ detained, ensure hospitals have access to life-saving medicines and protect the rights of the Kashmiri people to freedom of assembly and worship,” the letter states.
It also urged the Indian Government at its highest levels to make it clear that religious tolerance – long a principle of Indian history and democracy – must be upheld.
Jayapal also posted her letter on Twitter and expressed: “I continue to be deeply concerned about credible reports of a humanitarian crisis in Jammu & Kashmir. Even in complex situations, we look to strong democratic allies like India to uphold basic human rights and due process.”
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