Pak lets anti-India terrorists use its territory, says US lawmaker
Pakistan continues to allow its territories to be used by terrorists operating in India, Afghanistan and other nations and they, the terrorists, have the “tacit and overt support” of officials in the host government, Tulsi Gabbard, the newly elected co-chair of the India Caucus of the House of Representatives, said in an interview to Hindustan Times.
“In Congress, I’ve worked to cut back US assistance for Pakistan, particularly any military assistance, and increase pressure on Pakistan to stop these dangerous actions and break these ties,” said the Democrat from Hawaii, a third-term member of the House of Representatives.
The congresswoman moved a legislation, Stop Funding Terrorists Act, in the House in January that’s focussed on ending US funding of terrorist outfits in Syria and the region, which has been focus of her attention in recent months, but, if passed it would outlaw US funding for countries that back terrorism, such as Pakistan.
It has bipartisan support, as is reflected in its cosponsors — six Republican and three Democrats — and it was also introduced in the senate in March by members of the upper chamber who are backing it. Leading them is Rand Paul, a fiercely libertarian Republican who has called Pakistan a “Frenemy”.
On hate-crimes against Indians, the congresswoman said, “The recent rise of violence against Indians, Hindus, Sikhs, and other religious and ethnic minorities, is deeply concerning. In the 115th Congress, we will continue our work to increase awareness and understanding across our communities, and urge the Department of Justice to investigate these horrific acts and address the rise of hate crimes across the country.
Gabbard also called for a reasonable US stand on H-1B saying, “We cannot make blanketed cuts or limitations on immigration that do not take into account the broader economic and social impact for our country and for our friends around the world.”
The Trump administration is understood to be considering a set of measures, through one executive order or more or legislative action, to curb H-1B visas, a temporary work programme for high-skill workers that critics has said are being abused ot lay off American workers.
The first Hindu ever elected to US congress, Gabbard has forged a unique bond with Indian Americans who have adopted her as one of their own brushing aside whatever sets her apart — white, un-hyphenated American, born in the US. And she has been a willing and active accomplice — Gabbard is often more culturally Hindu than her Indian American colleagues in congress and American politics generally. She greets Indian Americans, for one, with “namaskar” and not the standard local fare. The congresswoman has also struck up a close relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who sent Ram Madhav, a senior BJP official, to represent him at her wedding in Hawaii in 2015, with gift of a pashmina shawl and Ganesh idol made of five metals.
Gabbard, a rising star in US politics, briefly became a candidate for Trump’s secretary of state, or any other cabinet position, after a meeting with then president-elect at his office in Trump tower in Manhattan, New York days after his election in November. That didn’t lead to anything, not yet. Gabbard was elected co-chair of the India Caucus last week.