Terrorism poses greatest threat to human rights: US Commission on Kashmir issue

Washington, Nov 17, 2019, Sunday

Terrorism and fundamentalist human rights and civil liberties are the biggest threat to an American organization representing Kashmiri pundits, the US Commission said.

Terrorism and extremism are the most dangerous to human rights and civil liberties, so no one should seek political gain from the US Parliamentary Commission.

The president, representing the Kashmiri pundits, presented the issue on Friday. The Kashmiri Overseas Association (KOA) filed the statement before the Human Rights Commission headed by Tom Lantos. At the same time, the Commission expressed frustration that the Kashmiri community, which has been facing human rights abuses for the past 30 years, has not visited it till date.

The Democratic Party-dominated commission on Thursday held a hearing on human rights situation in Jammu and Kashmir. KOA chairman Shakun Munshi and secretary Amrita Kore, co-chaired by James McGovern and Christopher Smith, said the commission should not allow the forum to be used for political purposes.

He further said that the Commission should look into the terrorist challenges that are happening across the border in Jammu and Kashmir and ask Pakistan to end state-sponsored terrorism.

The KOA said that the situation in Jammu and Kashmir at present is due to terrorism that is crossing the border. As everyone knows, the state of Pakistan trains terrorist groups under sponsored terrorism policy and gives them financial support.

Because of this, more than 42,000 civilians have been killed in Jammu and Kashmir in the last decade alone. The Kashmiri Pandits' Association endorsed the abolition of Article 370 and 35-A of Jammu and Kashmir and expressed confidence that the Kashmiri Pandits would find a conducive environment to return to their roots.