*DETROIT: **India gets yet another international snub over Occupied Kashmirlockdown from the United States congresswoman.*
*US Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib has denounced the Indian government’srevocation of Articles 370 and 35A in occupied Kashmir and urged New Dehlito lift the curfew from the valley.*
In alinkissuedon Friday on her website, Tlaib said, “I condemn the Indian government’srevocation of Articles 370 and 35A, the communications blockade it hasimposed, its suppression of life-saving medical care, and the reports ofwidespread violence, torture and other human rights violations beingcarried out in Jammu and Kashmir.
“These unacceptable actions strip Kashmiris of their human dignity putmillions of people in danger, and seriously undermine democracy in Indiaand Kashmir. People should not have to fear unjust detention, rape, ortorture because of who they are and what they believe,” the congresswomanadded.
Tlaib continued, “I have met with residents in Michigan who cannot evencall their families in Kashmir to ensure they are safe — a trulyunimaginable situation as violence, militarisation, and occupationcontinues. Jammu and Kashmir is already one of the most militarised regionson Earth and India’s recent actions create more instability and heightenthe potential for accelerating violence.”
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The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) had releasedtwo reports in June 2018 and July 2019, which have raised concerns abouthuman rights violations in the valley, she added.
“As noted by the UN and human rights groups, the continued immunity ofmembers of the Indian military from prosecution for human rights abusesthrough the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) remains a key obstacleto accountability and perpetuates their disproportionate use of force. Theuse of pellet shotguns and tear gas as crowd-control mechanisms has injuredand maimed many Kashmiris, including children. Moreover, reports indicatethat the Indian government has curtailed access to life-saving medical carefor the Kashmiri people, creating shortages of medicine and restrictingtravel to doctors and pharmacies.”
The congresswoman added that multiple reports indicate that over 3,000people have been indefinitely detained without charges by the Indiangovernment under the Public Safety Act, including children, lawyers,doctors, religious leaders, and opposition political leaders.
