[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 32 (Tuesday, March 2, 1999)]
[House]
[Pages H860-H861]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                DO NOT FORGET ABOUT THE KASHMIRI PANDITS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Shimkus). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, the world witnessed an exciting event last 
month when India's Prime Minister Vajpayee met with his Pakistani 
counterpart, Prime Minister Sharif, to inaugurate a new bus service 
between the two countries.
  I applaud Prime Minister Vajpayee's courage in visiting his 
neighboring country with whom relations have been tense, to put it 
mildly. But amidst the celebrations about the meeting between the India 
and the Pakistani prime ministers, a disturbing development from the 
Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir reminds us of what is at stake in the 
conflict that has hung over the subcontinent for decades.
  As the New York Times reported, ``On the eve of Mr. Vajpayee's visit 
to Lahore, Islamic militants, whom Indians generally believe are backed 
by Pakistan, massacred 20 Hindu civilians in three places in Jammu, 
part of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, apparently in an attempt 
to derail the peace efforts. In one case, they opened fire on a wedding 
party, killing eight celebrants.'' This is from the New York Times, 
February 23.
  The article noted that Prime Minister Vajpayee did not publicly 
address the massacres during his visit to Pakistan, perhaps 
understandable in light of the positive atmosphere that the meeting of 
the two prime ministers was intended to generate. But Prime Minister 
Vajpayee stressed that he had warned his Pakistani counterpart that

[[Page H861]]

the continued campaign of terrorism against innocent civilians in Jammu 
and Kashmir is unacceptable.
  Mr. Speaker, the issue of Kashmir frequently gets mentioned in the 
geopolitical calculations over the larger India-Pakistan conflict. 
There is overwhelming evidence of Pakistani covert support for the 
continued terror campaign in Jammu and Kashmir. There has, at the same 
time, been an overt Pakistani effort to internationalize this issue by 
bringing the United States, or other world powers and international 
organizations, into the negotiations. The one aspect of this tragedy 
that frequently is overlooked is the plight of the Hindu community of 
this region, the so-called Kashmiri Pandits.
  I would like to take this opportunity, Mr. Speaker, to reiterate my 
calls for increased American and world attention to the plight of the 
Kashmiri Pandits, victims of massacres and displacement, such as the 
atrocity of last month.
  As I have gotten to know the Kashmiri-American community and hearing 
about the situation facing the Kashmiri Pandits, I have become 
increasingly outraged, not only at the terrible abuses they have 
suffered but at the seeming indifference of the world community.
  At the same time, I am impressed by the dignity and the determination 
that the Kashmiri Pandits have maintained despite these horrible 
conditions. I am touched by the deep concern that the Kashmiri-
Americans feel for their brothers and sisters living in Kashmir or in 
the refugee center set up in India to accommodate the Pandits driven 
from their homes in the Kashmir Valley.
  Recently, my colleagues in the Congressional Caucus on India and 
Indian-Americans asked me to co-chair a Task Force on Kashmir. I look 
forward to working with my colleagues to focus increased Congressional 
attention on this issue.
  Some of my colleagues and I have already been pressing these issues, 
but clearly we need to give the plight of the Kashmiri Pandits greater 
recognition.
  Mr. Speaker, I have asked India's National Human Rights Commission to 
consider declaring the Kashmiri Pandits an Internally Displaced People 
and provide conditions for the safe return of the Pandit community to 
the Kashmir Valley.
  I have also asked the Commission to substantiate the ongoing genocide 
that the Pandits are suffering. I would also encourage the Indian 
government to consider officially recognizing the Kashmiri Pandit 
community as a minority under Indian law to provide additional benefits 
and protection.
  Mr. Speaker, the Kashmiri Pandits have an ancient and a proud 
culture. Their roots in the Valley run deep. Virtually the entire 
population of 300,000 Kashmiri Pandits has been forced to leave their 
ancestral homes and property. Today, only 2,000 Kashmiri Pandits remain 
in the Valley. Threatened with violence and intimidation, they have 
been turned into refugees in their own country.
  Although Pakistani officials maintain that their country only 
provides ``moral and political support'' for the insurgency, evidence 
shows that Pakistan has been playing a direct role in arming and 
training the militants who have converted the Kashmir Valley from an 
earthly paradise into a living hell.
  Last year, I urged Secretary of State Madeleine Albright to raise the 
Kashmiri Pandit issue whenever Kashmir is discussed by the United 
States and India. I have also asked the Indian government to bring up 
the Pandits issue in any bilateral discussion between India and 
Pakistan.
  The United Nations Human Rights Commission also needs to address the 
Kashmiri Pandit issue, including it in its periodic reports on Kashmir, 
as well as through the Commission Subcommittee on Minorities. I will 
also continue urging action by UNICEF to provide educational grants to 
benefit the Kashmiri Pandit children and the World Health Organization 
support to improve health and sanitation.
  Mr. Speaker, lastly, in the great international debate over arms 
control and security issues, it is sometimes all too easy to overlook 
the so-called small problem of one persecuted ethnic group. I just hope 
that the United States and India, as the world's two largest 
democracies, will show determination to finally address this 
humanitarian catastrophe that the Kashmiri Pandits are facing in an 
effective and humane way.

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