Ahead of Congressional hearing on Kashmir, US urges India to 'respect human rights'

Valley of fear: Soldiers close off a street in Srinagar. Despite stringent security measures, protests are spreading in Jammu and Kashmir | AP

An American Congressional sub-committee will hold a hearing today on the human rights situation in South Asia, including Kashmir, with top officials from the state department and experts on the region.

The hearing will be convened by Congressman Brad Sherman, Chairman of the sub-committee on Asia, the Pacific, and Nonproliferation of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Titled 'Human Rights in South Asia: Views from the State Department and the Region', Sherman said, the hearing will focus on the situation in Kashmir, the condition of Tamils in Sri Lanka, and human rights in Pakistan, focusing on Sindh Province. 

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"The hearing will focus on the Kashmir valley, where many political activists have been arrested and daily life, the internet, and telephone communications have been interrupted," Sherman said, in a statement, adding that it will also review supplies of food, medicine, and other essentials in the valley.

Ahead of the hearing, the US said it was closely monitoring the situation in the state following India's August 5 decision.

The Indian government has argued that its decision on Article 370 was driven by a desire to increase economic development, reduce corruption and uniformly apply all national laws in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly in regard to women and minorities, Acting Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Alice G. Wells told the sub-committee.

"While we support these objectives, the US State Department remains concerned about the situation in the Kashmir valley, where daily lives for the nearly eight million residents has been severely impacted since August 5," Wells said in a prepared statement submitted to the Congressional sub-committee on the eve of the hearing "Human Rights in South Asia: Views from the State Department and the Region".

The second panel, scheduled in the afternoon, would comprise journalist Aarti Tikoo Singh, activist Fatima Gul Sindhi, associate professor in politics and international relations at the University of Westminster Nitasha Kaul.

Co-chair Political Conflict, Gender and People's Rights Initiative Research Anthropologist, Center for Race and Gender, Angana Chatterji, who has been critical of Indian policies in the past, and Asia Pacific Advocacy Manager Amnesty International Francisco Bencosme will testify before the Congressional sub-committee. 

The US State Department, Wells said, has closely monitored the situation in Jammu and Kashmir following India's August 5 decision to abrogate Article 370 provisions of the Constitution and bifurcate the state into two Union Territories.

"While conditions in Jammu and Ladakh have improved, the valley has not returned to normal," Wells said, adding the State Department has raised concerns with the Indian government regarding the detentions of local residents and political leaders, including three former chief ministers of Jammu and Kashmir.

"We have urged Indian authorities to respect human rights and restore full access to services, including internet and mobile networks," she said.

Postpaid mobile service has been restored in the valley, but internet access remains intermittent, Wells said.

She said both foreign and local journalists have extensively covered developments in Kashmir, but many have faced challenges in access and reporting due to security restrictions.

"While exact figures are difficult to ascertain, we understand several thousand people have been detained over the past two months, although many have subsequently been released," the top US diplomat said.

According to government sources, hundreds remain in detention many without charges under the Public Safety Act, which allows for administrative detention of up to two years, Wells said.

Welcoming actions by the Indian government to improve the situation and address local grievances, she said the Indian Home Ministry recently said the statehood will be restored to Jammu and Kashmir following a period as a Union Territory, reaffirming what Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in his August 15 Independence Day speech.

The US, she said, also encourages the Indian government to follow through on its commitment to hold assembly elections in the state at the earliest opportunity.

-Inputs from PTI

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