US still sees held Kashmir as disputed, Congress panel told – Newspaper

WASHINGTON: Undersecretary of State of the United States, Alice G. Wells, informed a panel of Congress on Tuesday that India's annexation of occupied lands has not changed the US position on retained Kashmir, as it continues considering it a disputed territory.

"We consider the Control Line (LoC) to be a de facto line that separates two parts of Kashmir," said Ms. Wells. "We recognize de facto administrations on both sides of the LoC."

She was answering a question from the panel president, Congressman Brad Sherman, who asked if the decision of India on August 5 to annex the occupied territories had also affected the US position in the held Kashmir and whether Washington now I saw LoC as an international border. He also asked if Washington still saw Kashmir as a disputed territory.

"We did not take a position on the type of administration of either India or Pakistan," Wells said when Sherman asked if the United States agreed with India's decision to merge Kashmir.

In a written statement she shared with the panel, Ms. Well said that the security situation in Kashmir, controlled by India, remained tense and that clashes between young people and security forces were commonplace.

The first official US assessment of the situation in the occupied valley also emphasized the need to resume the dialogue between India and Pakistan, but said that Islamabad's supposed support for some terrorist groups had paralyzed the talks.

The State Department raises concerns with India about arrests of residents and political leaders

Both points were included in a written policy statement that Ms. Wells shared with the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee of the House of Representatives on Asia and the Pacific on Tuesday. The panel held the first Congress hearing on the situation in Kashmir since August 5.

“The security situation in Kashmir remains tense. Clashes between young people and the security forces are commonplace, ”the statement said. "Several thousand people have been detained in the last two months" and "hundreds remain detained, many without charges, under the Public Security Law, which allows administrative detention for up to two years."

In emphasizing the need to resume the India-Pakistan dialogue, the policy document noted: "Restarting a productive bilateral dialogue requires building trust, and the main obstacle remains Pakistan's continued support for extremist groups engaged in cross-border terrorism." .

While he encouraged Pakistan to do more to curb terrorists, the department added: "We welcome the recent unequivocal statement by Prime Minister Imran Khan that Pakistan's terrorists carrying out violence in Kashmir are enemies of both Kashmir like from Pakistan. "

Ms. Wells informed the panel that Washington has closely followed the situation in Jammu and Kashmir following the decision of India on August 5 to repeal Article 370 of the Indian Constitution and create two new Union territories: Jammu and Kashmir , and Ladakh.

The United States supports India's desire to increase economic development in Kashmir, but "remains concerned about the situation in the Valley, where the daily lives of almost eight million residents have been severely affected since August 5."

The statement said conditions in Jammu and Ladakh had improved, but "the Valley has not returned to normal."

The State Department has expressed concern with the Indian government about the arrests of local residents and political leaders, including three former prime ministers of Jammu and Kashmir, Ms. Wells added.

"We urge the Indian authorities to respect human rights and restore full access to services, including the Internet and mobile networks," he said, noting that while the postpaid mobile service has been restored in the Valley, Internet access It is still intermittent.

Posted on Dawn, October 23, 2019