The U.S, Congress’s decision to amend the U.S. Foreign Aid Appropriation Bill to provide for a reduction in the country’s external developmental assistance principally aimed at India for its abuses of Sikh and Muslim human rights is symbolically historic. The Congress is a representative, lively forum of the U.S.’ public opinion. A sizeable section of the house had been endeavoring for quite some time to bring home to the U.S. administration the point that it should take a bolder stand vis-a-vis India on its handling of the Kashmir and Punjab issues. Tireless efforts were made by Congressman Dan Burton and several other members to convey to India the US public opinion’s strong resentment of the Indian government’s highhanded ways. These efforts were earlier frustrated by lobbies representing numerous business interests who stuck to the “business first and human nights later” principle. The failure of the previous attempts only emboldened India to push through its road-roller politics in Kashmir and Punjab killing thousands more Muslims and Sikhs. Eventually realization dawned on more and more Congressmen to the need to cry a “Halt” to Delhi’s madness.

The resolution gently seeks to pull up the U.S. administration for going largely by India’s version of the developments in Punjab and Kashmir. Although a detailed account of the house deliberation has not reached far and wide, it is well known that Congressman Dan Burton and his like-minded colleagues were equipped with documents exposing how Indian forces were killing, torturing, and maiming Sikh and Muslim males in Punjab and Kashmir and raping their women for pressing their demands for freedom from Indian occupation. Those who opposed the Burton amendment did not contest the protagonists’ arguments on merit. Instead, they pressed into service such irrelevant points as the growing Indo-U.S. proximity on political, diplomatic, defence and business fronts. Does this proximity give India or other allies of the U.S.A. a license to kill their people and violate the letter and spirit of the U.N. Charter? Those who think along these lines are, fortunately, in a minority in this. A majority of the U.S. is on the side of human rights and freedom and the Dan Burton resolution truly reflects the views of a liberal, freedom-loving America. It is now the duty of the Bush administration to bow to the wishes of the people, and tell Delhi in clear terms that its cruel, imperialistic ways in Punjab and Kashmir cannot be tolerated.

The Burton amendment is a diplomatic victory of the Sikh human rights activists as well as of the Kashmir lobbyists. They have succeeded at long last in establishing their complaint against the Indian authoritarianism at the bar of U.S. public opinion represented by the Congress. Due credit must go to numerous groups and individuals and, above all, to Dan Burton and his colleagues for their active response. It is the duty of the Sikh and Muslim groups not to treat the amendment as an end in itself, They will do well to carry on the struggle by complimenting the Congressmen who stood by Muslims and Sikhs at this critical juncture, At the same time a relentless campaign will have to be built up to convince others about the need to recognize the Indian reality namely that the human rights of Sikhs and Kashmiris will remain in peril until they get complete freedom from Indian imperialism, It has to be remembered that while the amendment is a symbolic victory against India, it in itself provides no immediate relief to the victims of Indian militarists. Even after the amendment was carried recently, the Sikhs and Muslims have been killed at the rate of a score per day. Besides, the U.S. administration ipso facto does not get moved. For, only a few days later Japan as well as certain western countries including the U.S.A. committed aid to India which is many times more than what is sought to be withheld from it. All this hardly leaves any room for celebrations. Instead, the occasion calls for more concerted efforts.

Article extracted from this publication >> June 10, 1994