WASHINGTON: US Congress resolution, moved by Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal and Congressmen Steve Watkins, on Kashmir clampdown may put India in a corner.
The resolution urged the Indian government to preserve religious freedom for all the residents of Indian-controlled Kashmir.
Two members of the US Congress have moved a resolution asking India to “end the restrictions on communication and mass detentions” in Indian-controlled Kashmir.
The members of Congress said in the resolution that they “recognize the dire security challenges faced by the government of India in Jammu and Kashmir and the continuing threat of state-sponsored cross-border terrorism”, the SAMAA reported.
However, the resolution said that they reject the arbitrary detention, use of excessive force against the civilians and suppression of peaceful expressions of dissent as proportionate responses to security challenges.
The resolution has asked the Indian government to respect the human rights of all people and adhere to international human rights laws. It also asked New Delhi to allow human rights observers and journalists to operate freely in Indian-controlled Kashmir without threats.
New Delhi unilaterally revoked on August 5 the autonomous status of the part of Jammu and Kashmir it controls. Hours before its move, India curtailed movement and shut down phones and the internet in Kashmir, bringing in hundreds of thousands of troops to the occupied Himalayan territory.
Hundreds of Kashmiris, including politicians and human rights activists, are still detained in various jails across the country.
TNT Report
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