ISLAMABAD – A resolution has been moved in the U.S. Congress condemning thehuman rights violations taking place in Jammu and Kashmir, and supportingthe Kashmiris’ right to self-determination.
Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib in her Resolution No.724 in the House ofRepresentative submitted the resolution which was referred to the Committeeon Foreign Affairs.
Tlaib, a Democrat from the 13th district of the state of Michigan, is aPalestinian Arab and a leading human rights campaigner.
She was among the first US lawmakers to condemn India’s August 5, decisionto annex Kashmir, urging India to reconsider its decision, stop humanrights violations and respect basic rights of the Kashmir.
The resolution opposed any use of force against civilian populations bygovernmental and non-governmental actors alike, and also condemned the useof pellet shotguns and rubber bullets as a crowd-control method.
It affirmed that any changes to the status of Jammu and Kashmir must bemade with the direct consultation of the Kashmiri people, who must play acentral role in the determination of their future.
The resolution urged the government of India to immediately lift allremaining elements of the communications blockade imposed in Jammu andKashmir, including restoring phone and internet access and refraining fromany interference with the provision of medical treatment.
The document urged the Department of State to facilitate contact betweenKashmiri Americans and their family members in Jammu and Kashmir.
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The resolution reaffirmed its strongly held belief that freedom of religionis a central and inalienable right of all people as promulgated in theUnited Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and urges theGovernment of India to ensure compliance with the Universal Declaration ofHuman Rights in Jammu and Kashmir.
It also urged the government of India to exercise restraint when performingsecurity and policing operations and denounces the widespread use ofthreats and excessive force against civilians, protestors and detainees.
The resolution asked India to immediately release unjustly and indefinitelydetained people in Jammu and Kashmir and to cease arbitrary and politicallymotivated detentions.
It called upon India and Pakistan to engage in dialogue to deescalatetensions and protect human rights.
It supported unfettered access of the Office of the United Nations HighCommissioner for Human Rights to their respective sides of the Line ofControl and urged the two sides to implement its policy recommendations ascontained in its 2018 and 2019 reports.
