US lawmakers seek answers, assurances on Kashmir

Days after the US government sought a roadmap from India on political and economic normalcy in Kashmir and asked the Indian government to immediately release all the political detainees, six US Congressmen have written to the Indian ambassador asking some uncomfortable questions.

In a letter to Indian envoy Harsh Vardhan Shringla, the American lawmakers have said that many of their constituents have portrayed a much different picture in Kashmir compared to what the Indian ambassador had told them on October 16, when he briefed members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

The six US Congressmen — David N Cicilline, Dina Titus, Chrissy Houlahan,

Andy Levin, James P McGovern and Susan Wild — have asked the Indian government if 100 per cent landlines have been restored in Jammu and Kashmir or there are any remaining outages. They also asked when ■

mobile networks, including Internet, will be restored.

The lawmakers also asked about the number of people detained under the Public Safety Act and other legal provisions since August 5 and asked Mr Shringla for some specific details: “Of those, how many are minors? What is the standard judicial procedure for someone detained under the Public Safety Act?”

They have also asked, “What is the status of the curfews that have been imposed in Jammu and Kashmir? What are the government’s plans to allow residents to return to uninhibited movement? When can we expect that?”

The lawmakers have also questioned Mr Shringla about the alleged use of rubber bullets by Indian security forces and how many people have been blinded by it. “What is the Indian government doing to ensure the rights of peaceful protesters?” they wrote.

In addition they have asked the Indian envoy to lay out the reasons why foreign journalists are still not allowed inside Jammu & Kashmir and when will they be allowed to enter the region.