ISLAMABAD – India faces an embarassing blow from US Congress Members justdays ahead of President Donald Trump’s visit.
Just days before President Donald Trump’s visit to New Delhi, four USsenators have called for an urgent assessment of the Citizenship AmendmentAct passed by India and the abrogation of Article 370 in Kashmir.
Senators Lindsey Graham, Chris Van Hollen, Todd Young and Dick Durbin in aletter to the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pointed out the “troublingactions” of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government and said,“India has now imposed the longest-ever internet shut down by a democracy,disrupting access to medical care, business, and education for sevenmillion people.
Hundreds of Kashmiris remain in ‘preventive detention,’ including keypolitical figures.”
“These actions have severe consequences,” the letter stated.
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Last year in December, India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) passedthe Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), a bill which fast-tracksnaturalization of non-Muslim refugees who came to India from neighbouringPakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan before 2015.
While the bill covers Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis andChristians in the three countries, it excludes Muslims.
Earlier on August 5, the Indian government had revoked the special statusof Kashmir, putting the region into lockdown and sending troops to thevalley and putting the Muslim majority province under a communicationlockdown.
