[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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