[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 18008]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                          DISPUTE OVER KASHMIR

  (Mr. PITTS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PITTS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak about the refugees 
and others who suffer as a result of the dispute over Kashmir between 
India and Pakistan.
  We heard earlier in joint session about the suffering on the Indian 
side. Well, earlier this year I visited a camp on the Pakistani side 
that was filled with Kashmiris who were wounded or who had relatives 
who were wounded or dead from fighting. Several had their limbs cut off 
by their Indian adversaries.
  These Kashmiris pleaded with me to urge the U.N. to get involved and 
somehow bring an end to the bloodshed and suffering of the Kashmiri 
people and relief to the refugees. They are called displaced persons, 
not refugees, so they are ineligible for relief.
  Some reports suggest that over a million people have become refugees 
since 1947 as a result of the conflict.
  Madam Speaker, I urge Secretary General Kofi Annan to appoint a 
special envoy to help bring an end to this conflict to get the two 
sides to the negotiating table. I urge the governments of Pakistan and 
India to dialogue with each other, find a solution to this long, drawn 
out conflict.
  And why not allow the Kashmiris to hold a referendum for self-
determination? India is the world's largest democracy. What is wrong 
with letting people in Kashmir vote on their future?
  In the meantime, forces should pull back from the line of conflict 
and relief should be provided to the suffering refugees of Kashmir.

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