ISLAMABAD - A big diplomatic success for Pakistan against India has been reported from the United States.
The US Senate has called on Indian government to lift the lockdown and curfew in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK), fully restore telecommunications and internet services and release individual detainees while approving foreign assistance for India in Department of State, Foreign Operations and Related Programmes Appropriations Bill 2020.
This puts India under the US Senate watch and exposes its assistance to review under a number of human rights acts like Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, Human Rights Vetting and other procedures approved by US Congress. The US Senate passed the said bill by 31-0.
This is the strongest bi-partisan condemnation of Indian clampdown after Aug 5 in US Senate led by President Trump’s Republication Party. Already, over 50 members of US Congress have expressed grave concern on the human rights violations in Kashmir.
Alice Wells, Acting Assistant Secretary, SCA, South and Central Asian Affairs on September 26 had called on the Indian government to lift restrictions in Kashmir and resume dialogue with Pakistan.
The US Senate has approved total appropriations of over $55 billion for US State Department operations and US assistance worldwide for the financial year that started Oct 1. The approvals include assistance of $120 million for India and $91 million for Pakistan.
Indian allocation is stated to secure American national security interests in Indo Pacific region under the new American Indo Pacific Strategy besides other reasons. Pakistan gets its funds under economic support and narcotics control and law enforcement.