[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 7 (Tuesday, February 5, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E88-E89]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


              INDIA MUST RELEASE SIKH POLITICAL PRISONERS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 5, 2002

  Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, many of my colleagues are strong supporters 
of India. They apparently believe India's claim that it is ``the 
world's largest democracy.'' But why does a democracy have political 
prisoners?
  According to a report last year by the Movement Against State 
Repression (MASR), the Indian government admitted to holding 52,268 
Sikhs as political prisoners. Amnesty International has reported that 
tens of thousands of other minorities are also being held as political 
prisoners. These prisoners are being held without charge or trial, 
illegally. Some of them have been in illegal custody for many years, 
despite the provisions of the law. Many of the Sikh political prisoners 
have been in detention since 1984. That's 18 years, Mr. Speaker. 
Eighteen years! How can a democratic state justify this?
  Now, all of us want good relations with India and with all nations, 
as the President said in his State of the Union speech. But we also 
want to support the cause of freedom for all the people in the world. 
That is one of the main reasons we are fighting terrorism. We should 
use our increasing ties to India to pressure them to release all their 
political prisoners. As the bastion of democracy, it is our duty to 
speak up for these oppressed minority people.
  Leading activists like Jaswant Singh Khalra, former Jathedar Gurdev 
Singh Kaunke, and so many others have been killed by the Indian 
government after being made to disappear. Christians have suffered an 
ongoing wave of persecution, which many of us in this House have 
detailed repeatedly. It is time for the civilized world, under the 
leadership of the United States, to speak out strongly against this 
repression. But in addition, we must take prudent, peaceful, measured 
action to stop the repression of these minorities.
  The Sikh leadership and the leadership of the other minorities should 
nominate the political prisoners for office as a way to help secure 
their release. This would make it much more difficult for India to 
continue holding them.
  I might note that India has also been a practitioner of terrorism. It 
created the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a Tamil militant 
group that our government designates as ``terrorist,'' and harbored its 
leaders in the most elegant hotel in Delhi. It has been reported that 
the Indian Defense Minister has raised money and supplied arms for the 
LTTE. It has also been reported that the Indian government sponsors 
terrorist activity in Sindh, a border province of Pakistan. As you 
know, Pakistan has been a strong supporter of our efforts in the war on 
terrorism until India's troop movements forced them to divide their 
effort and pull troops off the Afghan border to counter an impending 
threat from India.
  In addition, India paid the late governor of Punjab a lot of money to 
generate terrorism in Punjab and Kashmir. Indian troops were caught 
trying to set fire to a Sikh Gurdwara. There are numerous other 
incidents, such as the Air India bombing, the Chithisinghpora massacre, 
and other incidents, where the evidence points strongly to the Indian 
government.
  If India cannot behave like a civilized, democratic nation, it does 
not deserve to be treated like one. We should stop American aid to 
India until the political prisoners are released and the minorities can 
enjoy their full rights and liberties, and we should strongly urge 
India to hold a free and fair plebiscite in Kashmir, Khalistan, 
Nagaland, and all the nations seeking their freedom. Remember that 
India promised a plebiscite in Kashmir in 1948. I call on India to 
deliver on that promise. We should work with them to bring this about. 
That is the way that we can help secure the blessings of liberty for 
all the people of South Asia.


 Kazakhstan and the U.S.: A growing partnership in need of our support

  Mr. Speaker. The terror that struck our country on September 11 
brought anguish to the hearts of all caring people. Events that 
followed have focused the world's attention on Central Asia and the war 
against the terrorists.
  Kazakhstan, the largest nation in that region, has offered 
cooperation in every area of the war effort. Kazakhstan has stood with 
us, and we, as Americans, must join hands with them, helping Kazakhstan 
and our other new allies in the area as they work to stabilize this 
critical region.
  ``Kazakhstan plays a crucial role for the international community as 
a bulwark against regional instability and conflict,'' President Bush 
said in a recent letter to President Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan. 
``America especially appreciates Kazakhstan's strong support in 
fighting the international scourge of terrorism,'' the President added.
  As we are nearing the end of the military phase of the Afghan 
campaign and turning our attention to rebuilding that country, 
Kazakhstan, lying 200 miles to the north of Afghanistan, can play a 
crucial role in the success of these efforts. There are many reasons 
for this: most important are Kazakhstan's strong economic record, 
enormous potential, political stability and success in providing equal 
opportunities for all of its 130 ethnic groups, and, last, but not 
least, its willingness to participate fully in rehabilitation efforts 
in Afghanistan. Kazakhstan's largely Muslim community, although 
secular, has a special appreciation for the suffering and the hopes of 
the Afghan peoples. Already 25,000 tons of grain from the fertile lands 
of Kazakhstan have reached the hungry in that war-torn region. More 
will be coming.
  For Kazakhstan to be able to realize its potential to help to the 
rebuilding of Afghanistan and restore regional stability, the country 
needs firm and long-term support from the United States. There are many 
reasons we should become more involved with this strategically 
important country. Not the least are the vast oil reserves of 
Kazakhstan that could potentially rival those of Saudi Arabia and will 
help guarantee our future energy needs. Kazakhstan's cooperation in the 
war on terrorism coupled with our energy concerns mean that now is the 
time for us to support Kazakhstan and their bright future.
  President Nazarbayev's recent visit to Washington strengthened the 
Administration's recognition of the need to develop closer ties with 
Kazakhstan. The Government in Astana obviously wants closer ties, and 
America can only benefit from working more closely.
  In the Joint Statement Presidents Bush and Nazarbayev adopted after 
their meeting, they confirmed a ``commitment to strengthen the long 
term strategic partnership and cooperation''. I particularly welcome 
the Energy Partnership Declaration, which identified ``a long-term 
energy partnership'' as ``one of the key elements of the strategic 
interaction'' between Kazakhstan and the USA. I fully support those 
intentions, and I ask unanimous consent to put the joint statement of 
these world leaders in the Congressional Record. 
  I believe that the decade of growing friendship and cooperation, and 
particularly the strong support shown to us by Kazakhstan in fighting 
terrorists, has proved Kazakhstan to be our true friend and worthy of 
all help we can provide.
  Friends help friends. There are a number of very real steps Congress 
must take:
  First, we should work to graduate Kazakhstan from an outdated 
Jackson-Vanik amendment to the Trade Act of 1974 and grant Kazakhstan 
permanent normal trade relations status. I welcome the U.S. 
administration's stated intention to work with Congress on this issue 
and I call on my colleagues to support H.R. 1318 which I proudly 
cosponsored. It will repeal Jackson-Vanik in relation to Kazakhstan. 
This step needs to be taken during the current session. It will provide 
a much-needed boost for the expansion of the U.S. trade ties with 
Kazakhstan and will directly benefit hundreds of American businesses 
there. I remind my fellow members of Congress, and the American nation, 
that American investment in Kazakhstan over the past decade totals 5 
billion dollars. That makes the U.S. the largest single foreign 
investor in the country, and makes Kazakhstan the clear focus of 
American investment in Central Asia.
  Second, Congress should consider earmarking assistance to Kazakhstan 
in the next year's budget. The assistance should go to further 
solidifying Kazakhstan's successes in reforming its economy and 
society, as well as to strengthening its military and border 
protection. This move will send a clear message to the people of this 
important ally that the U.S. is serious about its intentions to stand 
by Kazakhstan as they move to become the main driving force behind the 
development of Central Asian stability and prosperity.
  Mr. Speaker, we are truly committed to seeing the whole of Central 
Asia develop into a truly stable and prosperous region. Only then will 
it cease to be a breeding ground for terrorism and a source of threats 
to our homeland and other peaceful nations. The time to act is now.

  Joint Statement by President George W. Bush and President Nursultan 
         Nazarbayev on the New Kazakhstan-American Relationship

                  [The White House, December 21, 2001]

       We declare our commitment to strengthen the long-term, 
     strategic partnership and cooperation between our nations, 
     seeking to advance a shared vision of a peaceful, prosperous 
     and sovereign Kazakhstan in the 21st Century that is 
     increasingly integrated into the global economy and the 
     community of democratic nations. To this end, we will advance 
     our cooperation on counterterrorism and non-proliferation, 
     democratic political and free-market economic reform, and 
     market-based investment and development of energy resources.

[[Page E89]]

       These goals further reflect our recognition that the 
     threats of terrorism and proliferation of weapons of mass 
     destruction endanger the security not only of the United 
     States and Kazakhstan, but of the world at large. We 
     therefore seek to develop our security cooperation to address 
     these challenges and foster cooperation among Kazakhstan, its 
     Central Asian neighbors, the United States, and our European 
     friends, partners, and allies. In pursuit of these 
     objectives, we are determined to deepen cooperation 
     bilaterally and within NATO's Partnership for Peace.
       We reiterate our intent to cooperate in the war against 
     terrorism to its conclusion and within the framework of the 
     international coalition. We underscore our support for a 
     broad-based Afghan government at peace internally and with 
     its neighbors. We also pledge our readiness to cooperate in 
     Afghanistan's reconstruction.
       Recognizing that Kazakhstan was the first country to 
     renounce its nuclear-weapons status voluntarily, we reaffirm 
     our mutual commitment to the non-proliferation of weapons of 
     mass destruction. Both sides agree on the need for urgent 
     attention to improving the physical protection and accounting 
     of all nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons materials in 
     all possessor states, and to preventing illicit trafficking 
     in these materials. We pledge to expand our cooperation on 
     these matters under the United States-Kazakhstan Cooperative 
     Threat Reduction Agreement.
       In the spirit of partnership, Kazakhstan and the United 
     States intend to strengthen joint activity in ensuring 
     security and stability in Central Asia. We agree that the 
     expansion of trade and economic ties among the states of 
     Central Asia, and deepening of regional integration in 
     important areas, such as the environment, water resources, 
     and transportation systems are a basis for regional security. 
     The United States will consider enhancing assistance programs 
     to Kazakhstan to strengthen border security and to increase 
     the defensive capabilities of the Armed Forces of the 
     Republic of Kazakhstan.
       We recognize that free market economies and the rule of law 
     provide the most effective means to advance the welfare of 
     our citizens and the stability of our societies. The United 
     States and Kazakhstan pledge to advance our bilateral 
     economic, trade, and investment relations, including through 
     expanded contacts between the business communities of our 
     countries. We will strive to further develop an attractive, 
     transparent and predictable investment climate. Achieving 
     this goal requires removal of legislative and administrative 
     barriers to investment, strengthening respect for contracts 
     and the rule of law, reducing corruption, and enhancing 
     Kazakhstan's strong record on economic reform.
       We also intend to cooperate to advance Kazakhstan's 
     integration in the global economy by supporting Kazakhstan's 
     accession to the World Trade Organization on the basis of 
     standard and agreed criteria, and its graduation from the 
     Jackson-Vanik Amendment.
       We affirm our desire to strengthen our energy partnership 
     to diversify export options for Kazakhstan's oil and gas and 
     to diversify global energy supplies. We share the view that a 
     key element of this effort is development of multiple 
     pipelines that will ensure delivery of Caspian energy to 
     world markets, unfettered by monopolies or constrained by 
     geographic chokepoints. We welcome the recent opening of the 
     Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) Pipeline and underscore our 
     support for development of the Aktau-Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil 
     export route on commercial terms. We will also work together 
     to protect the rights of foreign investors and to abide by 
     decisions of courts, particularly of international courts of 
     arbitration.
       Recognizing that democracy is a cornerstone of long-term 
     stability, we reaffirm our desire to strengthen democratic 
     institutions and processes, such as independent media, local 
     government, pluralism, and free and fair elections. We also 
     reiterate our mutual commitments to advance the rule of law 
     and promote freedom of religion and other universal human 
     rights as promoted by the United Nations and the Organization 
     for Security and Cooperation in Europe, of which we are both 
     members. Finally, we pledge to enhance understanding between 
     the citizens of our two countries by promoting people-to-
     people exchanges, initiatives of nongovernmental 
     organizations, and contacts between business people.

     

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