As Indian repression of the Kashmiris since August 5 revocation of the region’s autonomy entered its third month, Democratic candidate Elizabeth Warren joined a growing number of American lawmakers to express concern over continued unprecedented restrictions on the rights of the people in Indian-administered Kashmir.
Senator Warren is one of the high-profiled voices on the Capitol Hill and her call for respect for the rights of the Kashmiri people echoes stance adopted by fellow presidential contender Senator Bernie Sanders – who has halted his campaign after a heart attack – and Senator Chris Van Hollen.
“The US-India partnership has always been rooted in our shared democratic values. I’m concerned about recent events in Kashmir, including a continued communications blackout and other restrictions. The rights of the people of Kashmir must be respected,” Warren wrote in a Twitter post.
The US-India partnership has always been rooted in our shared democratic values. I'm concerned about recent events in Kashmir, including a continued communications blackout and other restrictions. The rights of the people of Kashmir must be respected.https://t.co/K7JDmAjQg7
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) October 5, 2019
US Senator calls upon Indian Govt to fully restore telecommunications and lift curfew in IOK https://t.co/55rEYApT2g
— Radio Pakistan (@RadioPakistan) October 6, 2019
Meanwhile, mainstream American media continued to spotlight the suffering of Kashmiris.
The Washington Post also ran a story about New Delhi’s denying Senator van Hollen permission to visit the Indian-administered Kashmir, which according to reports, has been like the world’s largest open air prison, where eight million people face communication blockade, restrictions on freedom of expression, dissent and open movement.
The Kashmir siege has inflamed Pakistan-India tensions, as the two South Asian nuclear rivals remain in a tense standoff in one of the most heavily militarized regions in the world. Both countries control parts of the UN-recognized disputed territory.
President Donald Trump has acknowledged the nuclear dimension of the Kashmir conflict and offered to mediate on the longstanding dispute but also feels the two countries should address this bilaterally.
Pakistan has warned the world against fallout of the festering Kashmir crisis, that his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi continues to defend.
PM Imran Khan last month warned the UN General Assembly of blood bath and devastation if the situation spirals out of control once the Modi Government – inspired by RSS’s exclusionary Hindutva ideology – lifts the throttling curfew.
Khan, who has equated RSS and its BJP followers with German Nazis and Italian fascists during the WWII, also warned of a nuclear catastrophe for the region and widespread repercussions for the world if Pakistan and India go to war over Kashmir.
