Pakistan admires US Congress for raising voice for Kashmiris

ISLAMABAD (92 News) – Pakistan appreciated the efforts of the US Congress members who have raised their voice on the persecution of the people Indian Occupied Kashmir (IoK). In a statement on Thursday, Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Dr Muhammad Faisal said Pakistan has welcomed the US House of Representative’s Sub-Committee on Asia & the Pacific public hearing on human rights situation in IoK. He said more than 70 members of the US Congress and several prominent political figures including those intending to join the Presidential election race, have publicly spoken on the Kashmir issue. The FO spokesperson said the US Congressional hearing has brought out three key elements that Kashmir is a disputed territory and the current human rights situation is alarming. He said it also demonstrated that the US leadership and lawmakers are cognizant of the potential threats to peace and stability in the region and willing to play their due role to help resolve the dispute. The spokesperson said the latest hearing in the US House of Representatives is timely and shows the world community’s continued concern over the unacceptable situation in occupied Kashmir and the need to address it urgently. The spokesperson noted that the US congressional deliberations were mostly focused on the grave human rights and humanitarian situation in occupied Kashmir. Members of the Sub-Committee noted that India's illegal and unilateral actions of August 5 and subsequent lockdown have created a humanitarian crisis with security implications for the entire region. Heart rending accounts of detentions, beatings and torture of innocent Kashmiris remained the most poignant part of the hearing, which evoked a unified reaction from Members for an urgent end to these violations. Earlier, US Congressional sub-committee will hold a hearing on the human rights situation in South Asia with focus on Kashmir on 22nd of this month. In a statement in Washington House Subcommittee on Asia Chairman Congressman Brad Sherman said that Acting Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Alice Wells, who oversees all State Department policy towards South Asia, would testify at the hearing.