Non Resident Kashmiris from United States of America (USA) have addressed a letter to Secretary of U.S. Department of State John Kerry on the occasion of his visit to India.
NRKs on behalf of the suffering people of Kashmir have call upon John Kerry to utilize his authority to convince the Indian government, during your forthcoming visit to New Delhi, to turn to the path of sanity and thus, maintain the security and stability in the entire South East Asia. NRKs have urged in the letter that it’s right time for John Kerry to put an end to the violence perpetrated by India in Kashmir – the territory unwillingly occupied for six decades, and fulfill the promise of Self-determination.
“It’s time that Kashmiris be allowed to sort out their own affairs and determine their own future according to their own free will”, NRKs said.
Text of the letter addressed by Non Resident Kashmiris from United States of America (USA ) to Secretary of U.S. Department of State John Kerry is as:
August 29, 2016
Honorable John Kerry
Secretary of State
The Department of State
2201 C Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20520.
Honorable John Kerry:
The situation in the Indian Occupied Kashmir is deteriorating day by day. More than 72 people, some as young as 5 and some in their 80’s, have been killed within the past two months during the current uprising against India’s militaristic occupation of the region. The indiscriminate use of pellet guns by Indian authorities has caused severe eye injuries completely or partially blinding over 570 people and injuring more than 7,500 civilians including babies, children and women. Apart from the magnitude of this wanton violence, the most heartbreaking aspect of the situation is the acute collective punishment that has been inflicted on the whole population by Indian authorities through an incessant 50+ day curfew, curtailed supply of food and rations, arbitrary detentions, and shut down of mobile phone networks and Internet services.
International media has widely covered these atrocities and as an example, The New York Times on 29th August, 2016, carried a detailed front page story. According to Times, “there is an epidemic of ‘Dead Eyes’ in Kashmir as India uses pellet guns on protesters.” It seems that the epidemic of dead eyes will continue without the intervention of the International community, especially the United States of America.
This latest situation has been met with inexplicable silence by the United States. This has given a sense of total impunity to India to exercise the use of unprecedented force on unarmed Kashmiri civilians. It has also created the impression that the United States is selective about the application of the principles of human rights and democratic values. What is the significance of an alliance between the great democracy (USA) and the so-called largest democracy in the world (India), when universal principles, democratic values, and human rights are knowingly ignored?
As Secretary of State of the free world, the people of Kashmir view you as a messenger of peace, liberty, and justice. Kashmiris, within the boundaries of the state of Jammu & Kashmir, and in other parts of the world today, rely on your unique authority to discuss the restoration of freedom, security, and democratic values in the Indian Administered Kashmir. As a herald of peace in South East Asian region, all peace-loving Kashmiris are making a convincing appeal to you to impress upon India to engage in a meaningful dialogue to resolve the Kashmir dispute without waiting for further death, destruction and misery for the civilian population of Kashmir.
Indeed, some discerning observers already perceive a growing awareness in the Indian middle class as well as bureaucracy that the persistence of the Kashmir problem weakens India by diminishing its stature among the great powers. P. Chidambaram, former Minister of Interior; Mani Shanker Aiyar, former Union Minister; Jyotiraditya Scindia, Leader of Indian National Congress; Sitaram Yechurey, leader of Communist Party of India and many others are of the same opinion. But this constructive trend will vanish if the U.S. is seen as tolerant of India’s obduracy and unmindful of healthier opinion in India itself.
The suffering people of Kashmir call upon you to utilize your authority to convince the Indian government, during your forthcoming visit to New Delhi, to turn to the path of sanity and thus, maintain the security and stability in the entire South East Asia.
The mantra has been repeated too often that the U.S. has no alternative to relying on bilateral talks between India and Pakistan to achieve a settlement. The experience of more than sixty-nine years is ignored. No bilateral talks between India and Pakistan have yielded any agreement. Therefore, it is quite logical that the talks must be tripartite between the Governments of India, Pakistan, and the genuine leadership of the people of Jammu & Kashmir.
We must emphasize here that, by no stretch of imagination, can the situation in Kashmir be treated as India’s internal matter, as India alleges. Kashmir is recognized as disputed territory under international law. The United States was the principal sponsor of the United Nations resolutions # 47 that was adopted on April 21, 1948, which was based on the principle that the future of Kashmir shall be decided in accordance with the will and aspirations of the people of Jammu & Kashmir.
We, U.S. citizens of Kashmiri origin as well as the people of Kashmir are profoundly grateful to President Obama for upholding the position of this principle when he reminded Dr. Manmohan Singh, then the Prime Minister of India on November 8, 2010 in New Delhi, “With respect to Kashmir, obviously this is a longstanding dispute between India and Pakistan… That (its resolution) is in the interests of the region, it’s in the interests of the two countries involved, and it’s in the interests of the United States of America.”
So, it’s time to put an end to the violence perpetrated by India in Kashmir – the territory unwillingly occupied for six decades, and fulfill the promise of Self-determination. It’s time that Kashmiris be allowed to sort out their own affairs and determine their own future according to their own free will. Specifically, we respectfully request you to implore Indian authorities do the following:
- Respect all human rights of the population of Kashmir as stipulated by The Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations
- Stop the use of indiscriminate and disproportionate force on all peaceful protesters in Kashmir
- Stop the use of pellet guns on all protesters as this barbaric acts maims and blinds its targets for life
- Stop its forces from committing war crimes like attacking ambulances, propagating violence including tear gas inside hospitals and inflicting violence on all patients, medical staff and attendants
- Repeal the draconian Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) with immediate effect, as demanded by Amnesty International
- Restore communication links and lift the media blackout in place with immediate effect to allow the world to objectively assess the situation on its own accord
- Stop the unending cycles of curfews by removing armed forces from civilian areas and providing respite to the civilian populace by allowing them an opportunity to replenish essential supplies and medicines
- Release political prisoners and allow them to hold peaceful protest rallies
Finally, helping resolve the Kashmir dispute with earnestness will uphold efforts of the Obama administration in bringing stability in the region and establish the role of Free World leaders in championing peace and justice for all.
Thank you for your time and attention to this urgent and important issue.