5th August 2019. The Indian government ended the special status for Jammu & Kashmir and reorganised it into two Union Territories,
The Indian-American community in the US has urged the Trump administration to “fully support” India’s decision to revoke the constitutional provision that accorded special status to Jammu and Kashmir and to continue to exert pressure on Pakistan to end its support to cross-border terrorism.
“…so the Kashmir conflict can be resolved once and for all,” Samir Kalra, managing director of Hindu-American Foundation (HAF), said.
Krishna Reddy, President of Overseas Friends of BJP (OFBJP), said that this is Narendra Modi government’s best gift to the nation on the occasion of 73rd Independence Day of India. “It is a historic day as Modi government could deliver a long-awaited decision of scrapping this special status and corrected the historic blunder made by the Nehru government,” Reddy said. According to him, OFBJP and other Indian diaspora organisations are organising celebratory events in the coming next two weeks.
The World Hindu Council of America welcomed the decision. It said that with the removal of article 370, the regions of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh will finally be fully integrated with the rest of India, allowing effective and sustainable development in these regions.
New York-based attorney Ravi Batra said that this action must deliver enhanced peace and security to Jammu and Kashmir.
Weeks after India abolished Article 370 and moved a separate bill to split the state into two union territories of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, attention on the issue persists in the USA, with many members of the U.S. Congress entering the fray. Jammu and Kashmir have been under strict restrictions since the government announced its decision to end its special status.
Ted Lieu, a California Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives, had tweeted that he had heard from his constituents that they were unable to reach their families in Kashmir.
Then, another representative Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota Democrat, tweeted, referring to the comment: “I am excited to see so many members joining us in calling attention to what is happening in Kashmir. Please continue to call your members and ask them to speak up. We expect openness from India.”
The latest lawmaker to join the fray is the US senator and the seasoned Democrat leader Bernie Sanders. He said on Saturday said that the United States must support UN-backed peaceful resolution in Kashmir, adding that he was “deeply concerned about the situation” in Jammu and Kashmir.
The 77-year-old presidential contender, speaking at an event, emphasised that the “communication blockade must be lifted immediately” in the Kashmir Valley.
Barely a week ago, the US President Donald Trump had discussed Jammu and Kashmir “at great length” with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G7 summit at Biarritz in France.
During the discussion, the Indian PM Modi had stressed on the fact that India and Pakistan were one before 1947 and all issues between the two were bilateral; we don’t want to trouble any third country — categorically rejecting any third-party mediation.
President Trump had twice offered to mediate on Kashmir. He later said: “The Prime Minister really feels that he has the situation under control… I have very good relationship with both the gentlemen (PM Modi and Imran Khan) and I’m here. I think they can do it (resolve the issue) themselves”.
Earlier, Congressman Tom Suozzi had written a letter to the secretary of state Mike Pompeo to express his concerns on the human rights situation in Kashmir after India scrapped the Article 370. But, later he had to call an emergency meeting of his Indian-American voters to apologise for not consulting them before writing the letter.
There are several Indian-Americans, who form a major part of Suozzi’s Congressional District in New York. They normally play a key role in his election and fundraising. These Indian-Americans had become agitated over Suozzi’s letter. Soon, Suozzi’s office was flooded with angry messages.
The ground reality.
India at this stage, day and age is not an entity to mess up with. It’s a powerful economy, a huge consumer market and a powerful democracy. Today, its neighbour Pakistan finds itself isolated globally as it tried to mess up with India. The visible change in geopolitics needs to be well understood. Every country has its interests in India. Saudi and other Muslim nations do not go against India, they do not want to miss investment opportunities in India. They have honoured the Indian PM with their highest civilian awards. The UAE has openly supported India.
The US also needs India to offset China. Russia is a childhood friend of India. Even China has its trade and commerce interests in India. Thus, India, the world’s largest democracy, remains critical for the region’s security and peace.
Indian Americans in the USA are increasingly being seen as a force to be reckoned with. Since they are highly educated, qualified and skilful, they are assets to the USA. Every politician in the USA needs their support. They neither live on benefits nor breed like rabbits. They are respected and loved everywhere for the strides India has made in almost every sphere of human activity. The case of Chandrayan-2 emphasises that India has passed where even the USA has failed. While Pakistan’s ideology depends upon paid PR agencies to subvert truths, India’s strength is this very diaspora. It does all of this simply for the love of the Nation it is proud of.
source https://ncairways.co/india-kashmir/
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