JAMMU, May 30: Two US Congressman, Frank Pallone
and Sherrod Brown have expressed serious concern over NDA-Govt’s apathy
towards displaced Kashmiri Hindus. In a letter to the Prime Minister
Vajpayee, they expressed, “We are deeply concerned about the apparent
lack of a sustained effort to create a political and economic safety net
for Kashmiri Pandits and therefore, we respectfully urge you to address
this issue immediately”.
The Congressmen said Vajpayee’s inability to
mention the Nadimarg massacre during his visit to Kashmir in April left a
lasting impression that the community was being ignored. They reminded
him, “on April 19th in Srinagar, you expressed your sentiments towards
Kashmiri Hindus who feel disenfranchised within Indian polity. We request
that you make a public address about how they can be included in Kashmir
polity and in the peace process between India and Pakistan”.
Mr Pallone and Mr. Brown said no community in
J&K has suffered more violence than the Kashmiri Pandits, “who have
been brutalised by Islamic fundamentalists, which has resulted in their
mass exodus from the Kashmir valley since 1990's”. Pointing to the Govt.
apathy towards displaced Hindus, the two Congressmen said, “we fail to
understand how the State and Central governments can continue to ignore
the long-standing situation in J&K. Unfortunately, there does not
appear to be a coherent and sustained process to restore the Valley to its
diverse history. As strong supporters of India we have heard concerns from
our Indian-American constituents that both local and Central governments
have failed in their outreach to all constituents of J&K".
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