New Delhi: In a diplomatic embarrassment for India, the lockdown in Kashmir, the National Register of Citizens, and the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) that excludes migrant Muslims, all came under criticism by US lawmakers during a hearing on ‘Human Rights in South Asia’ in Washington on Tuesday.
India usually enjoys backing from the US government on Kashmir. On Tuesday, however, several lawmakers voiced anger over the clampdown in J&K. They questioned their government over its backing of India amidst reports human rights violations.
Though senior US officials also criticised Pakistan’s record during the Congressional hearing, the focus largely remained on questions of India removing special status to J&K on August 5, along with the restrictions and detentions.
US lawmakers grilled Alice Wells, assistant secretary of state for South Asia, and assistant secretary for human rights, Robert Destro, on the continuing restrictions in Kashmir and whether/ how the US was leveraging its relationship with India on easing the restrictions. At one point, Destro concurred with a lawmaker that Kashmir had a “humanitarian crisis”.
Wells said that while US “remains concerned” about the impact of India’s actions in Kashmir, institutions like the Supreme Court are working and it is examining the government’s decision.
Wells’ remarks were in response to a question by Congresswoman Ilhan Omar on whether the US is committed to emphasising Kashmiri voices in determining their future.
“I would underscore that Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi came in consecutive terms,” she said. “He achieved a majority vote in a diverse population. His actions were approved in parliament, including by Opposition members. The Supreme Court is reviewing that decision. The institutions of India’s democracy are working.”
The US believed that the Kashmiri people’s voice needed to be heard.
“Any restoration of politics, when there is a state assembly election, that’s the way for Kashmiris to be able to register their views also in peaceful assembly. The concern over the restrictions on movement and what we’ve seen over the last 78 days is that that ability to protest peacefully has been difficult for Kashmiris to exercise.”
“We have urged Indian authorities to respect human rights and restore full access to services, including internet and mobile networks,” she told a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee.
She added that the US was also concerned about the detention of residents including mainstream political leaders and about impediments to both local and foreign media coverage.
Even though India has told the world that it has a time-table to remove curbs and restore landlines and mobile service, internet services remain cut. There are also travel restrictions for Kashmiri activists and almost all top political leaders are under detention or house arrest.
Representative Ilhan Omar charged that Kashmir is part of a pattern against Islam by the Bharatiya Janata Party. She pointed to reports of detention camps built in Assam after nearly two million people failed to prove their Indian citizenship in a controversial registration drive, with Modi’s government vowing that “illegal” immigrants cannot stay.
“This is how the Rohingya genocide started… Are we waiting for the Muslims in Assam to be put in those camps?” Omar said.
Wells said that the US shared concerns but noted that the Assam citizenship registration was ordered by a court and that an appeals process was in place.
“As a democracy, we respect other democracies’ abilities to self-police and self-regulate,” she said.
