Barbara Crosette’s article “Abuses by India in Kashmir reported by Rights Groups” (Nov.81992) demonstrates once again the extent of Indias continuing brutality in Kashmir. India wants the world to believe that it is not committing these abuses. But when independent groups such as Asia Watch and Physicians for Human Rights visit Kashmir and witness India’s carnage the facts speak for themselves.
In the past few years there has been increasing concern throughout the world about India’s human rights abuses in Kashmir. Earlier this year the U.S House of Representatives voted to cut $24 million in assistance to India in response to these atrocities. And the United States Senate has called hearings for early next year to investigate India’s abuses in Kashmir and consider an appropriate U.S. response.
Asia Watch’s soon-to-be-released report will prove that despite increased world attention India has not abandoned its policy of genocide in Kashmir. Your article notes several specific cases in which Indian troops commit summary executions of Kashmir civilian’s fire into unarmed crowds of mummer’s in funeral processions and gang Kashmiri women and young girls. In one horrifying example the article notes how India authorities locked a man and a woman in their shop and set fire to it cremating them alive.
This is the daily reality of the Kashmiri people. And yet the United States has done little to stop these abuses or to help seek a peaceful settlement of the Kashmir crisis.
Kashmiri-Americans now place their hopes in the new Clinton/ Gore administration to change this policy of neglect We note that as a senator Vice President-elect Gore was one of the first vocal critics of Indias genocidal policies in Kashmir He sponsored bold legislation S. Res. 91condemning Indias abuses in Kashmir and calling on all parties to the conflict to seek a peaceful negotiated settlement It is our hope that he and President-elect Clinton will show the same principled leader-Ship for Kashmiri human rights in the White House.
Evidence such as that provided by your report is vital to changing these policies and securing the basic human rights of all Kashmiris. This latest evidence is one more reason why the United States must act quickly to help find a peaceful negotiated settlement to the Kashmir crisis. The longer this rampant abuse continues the more intractable the conflict becomes.
The United States must work to bring all the parties to the dispute Indian Pakistani and Kashmiri to the negotiating table. This is the only way a political settlement can be achieved only when the Kashmiri people finally have a say in their future can lasting peace be secured for the South Asian region.
Thank you for this important contribution to the debate over U.S. policy toward Kashmir.
Dr.Ghulam Nabi Fai
Executive Director
Kashmiri-American Council
Article extracted from this publication >> December 11, 1992
