US Congressman expresses concern over human rights state of affairs in Kashmir

A distinguished American Congressman has expressed concern over the human rights state of affairs in Kashmir and emphasised that the US authorities should clarify that it expects higher of democracies like India.

The remarks by Congressman Andy Levin — a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific and Nonproliferation — got here throughout a digital Congressional briefing organised by the Indian American Muslim Council and 16 different teams on Wednesday.

The Democratic Party Congressman emphasised the necessity for the US to take a transparent stance on India’s human rights violations and clarify that “the US cares about what happens in Kashmir and that we expect better of democracies like India.”

India has repeatedly rejected criticism by international governments, lawmakers and human rights teams on allegations that civil liberties have eroded within the nation.

The authorities has asserted that India has properly established democratic practices and sturdy establishments to safeguard the rights of all.

The authorities has emphasised that the Indian Constitution offers for ample safeguards underneath numerous statutes for making certain the safety of human rights.

Quoting reviews of varied human rights teams documenting the rights abuses and intensified crackdown in Kashmir after revoking its particular autonomous standing, Levin cautioned that abuses had been “not happening in a vacuum” these abuses are a part of a worrying development in the direction of authoritarianism.

The Indian Parliament had revoked the particular standing of Jammu and Kashmir, bifurcating the state into two Union Territories on August 5, 2019.

The Ministry of External Affairs had mentioned the Constitution was, is and can all the time be a sovereign matter and developments pertaining to Article 370 are solely India’s inner affair.