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Lawmakers urge US president to resolve Kashmir issue

Lawmakers urge US president to resolve Kashmir issue
September 19, 2019
WASHINGTON (92 News) – The US lawmakers have urged US President Donald Trump to engage both Pakistan and India for resolving Kashmir issue on the negotiation table. The US lawmakers have urged the Trump administration to engage both Pakistan and Indian prime ministers on the sidelines of UN General Assembly (UNGA) session in New York next week to find a negotiated settlement of the Kashmir issue. In a statement, US member of Congress from Texas Sheila Jackson Lee said that the US president or the Secretary of State must engage Indian and Pakistani Prime Ministers on a reasoned opportunity for resolving the crisis in occupied Kashmir. A Democrat member of Congress from Maryland Anthony Brown also urged the governments of India and Pakistan to exercise restraint and to engage with the US to de-escalate the situation. Congresswoman Jan Shackowsky, a senior Democratic leader from Illinois said, “The US and the UN need to speak out against the atrocities happening right now in the region” as “this is a very dangerous situation.” She urged all members of the UN to note that both India and Pakistan were nuclear countries. That’s why “it’s important that the world community establish law and human rights in Kashmir once again,” she said. Ms Jackson Lee, who co-chairs the Pakistan caucus in the US Congress but also has good relations with the Indian American community, presented a 5-step formula to the governments of the United States, India, Pakistan and to communities in Kashmir to defuse tensions in the region. “Both nations are equal in power and dignity throughout the world and therefore a bilateral between the United States and the leadership of India and another bilateral between the leadership of Pakistan is imperative and must take place,” she said in a statement released by her office. She said she has already sent letters to both the US president and secretary of state on this point and will soon be discussing this with representatives of India and Pakistan. Residents continue to suffer immensely as the Kashmir valley continues to remain under strict curfew and military lockdown for the 46th consecutive day, on Thursday in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IoK). The heavy deployment of Indian troops has created an atmosphere of fear, forcing the people to remain indoors. The continued blockade of the valley has aggravated the situation to an alarming proportion. The residents confined to their homes are facing difficulties in meeting their daily needs.