India gets yet another international snub over Occupied Kashmir lockdown
Shares
*DETROIT: **India gets yet another international snub over Occupied Kashmir lockdown from the United States congresswoman.*
*US Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib has denounced the Indian government’s revocation of Articles 370 and 35A in occupied Kashmir and urged New Dehli to lift the curfew from the valley.*
In a link issued on Friday on her website, Tlaib said, “I condemn the Indian government’s revocation of Articles 370 and 35A, the communications blockade it has imposed, its suppression of life-saving medical care, and the reports of widespread violence, torture and other human rights violations being carried out in Jammu and Kashmir.
“These unacceptable actions strip Kashmiris of their human dignity put millions of people in danger, and seriously undermine democracy in India and Kashmir. People should not have to fear unjust detention, rape, or torture because of who they are and what they believe,” the congresswoman added.
Tlaib continued, “I have met with residents in Michigan who cannot even call their families in Kashmir to ensure they are safe — a truly unimaginable situation as violence, militarisation, and occupation continues. Jammu and Kashmir is already one of the most militarised regions on Earth and India’s recent actions create more instability and heighten the potential for accelerating violence.”
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) had released two reports in June 2018 and July 2019, which have raised concerns about human rights violations in the valley, she added.
“As noted by the UN and human rights groups, the continued immunity of members of the Indian military from prosecution for human rights abuses through the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) remains a key obstacle to accountability and perpetuates their disproportionate use of force. The use of pellet shotguns and tear gas as crowd-control mechanisms has injured and maimed many Kashmiris, including children. Moreover, reports indicate that the Indian government has curtailed access to life-saving medical care for the Kashmiri people, creating shortages of medicine and restricting travel to doctors and pharmacies.”
The congresswoman added that multiple reports indicate that over 3,000 people have been indefinitely detained without charges by the Indian government under the Public Safety Act, including children, lawyers, doctors, religious leaders, and opposition political leaders.
