Senator Kamila Harris, who has been picked as running mate by presumptive Democratic presidential candidate, is a star on the rise known for strong positions on national and foreign policy issues.
As the first black candidate for the vice-presidential position, Harris also symbolizes the African American community’s hopes and aspirations for a fair society with equal opportunity for all.
She was vocal in her views on Kashmir as a presidential candidate during the primary campaign.
“We have to remind the Kashmiris that they are not alone in the world,” she said in the backdrop of the BJP Government’s strict lockdown on the disputed territory after it ended Kashmir’s autonomy.
In another statement she said:
“We are keeping a track on the situation. There is a need to intervene if the situation demands.”
She also supported Democratic Representative of Indian origin Pramila Jayapal, when Indian officials, irked by Jayapal’s criticism of New Delhi over repression in Kashmir, refused to attend a meeting with U.S. lawmakers with Jayapal also in attendance.
Thank you, @KamalaHarris, for raising your voice for #Kashmir: “We have to remind the #Kashmiris that they are not alone in the world.”
Please say more. Much more. #KashmirBleeds https://t.co/QwsDsy4MtB
— Pieter Friedrich (@FriedrichPieter) October 9, 2019
Senator Kamala Harris emphasized in a tweet that no foreign government should dictate the composition of Congressional delegations.
One of the key considerations for Biden in picking Haaris is that being an immigrant with a mixed Jamaican and Indian ancestry, she can bring out black voters in large numbers.
.@JoeBiden can unify the American people because he's spent his life fighting for us. And as president, he'll build an America that lives up to our ideals.
I'm honored to join him as our party's nominee for Vice President, and do what it takes to make him our Commander-in-Chief.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) August 11, 2020
If she succeeds in galvanizing black voters effectively, the Democrats could pose a formidable challenge to President Donald Trump in the November 3 election. Polls have been throwing up variant moods of the people in one of the toughest years for America as the coronavirus hurts the country’s economy and takes lives.
She took a strong stand on the racial issues following the death of George Floyd in police custody.
Meanwhile, Indian and Pakistani social media users have already started weighing the prospects of Kamala Harris taking a position on the contentious Kashmir dispute.
But several prominent Democratic-leaning Indian-Americans and
Pakistani-Americans rejoiced in her pick as the vice-presidential candidate.
“What an electric moment for the Indian-American community! Indian-Americans are now truly a mainstream community in the national fabric,” M R Rangaswami, an Indian-American, founder of Indiaspora, said, according to a Press Trust of India report.
Dilawar Syed, a prominent Pakistani-American information technology entrepreneur hailed both Harris and Joe Biden.
“Madam, Vice President! Kamala’s grit, and Joe’s heart,” he wrote in a Facebook post.
