- News>
- India
US Congressmen hope for an early solution to Kashmir
Washington, July 25: US Congress members have expressed hope that an early solution to the Kashmir issue would be found through dialogue under the initiative taken by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Washington, July 25: US Congress members have expressed hope that an early solution to the Kashmir issue would be found through dialogue under the initiative taken by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Senator Tom Harkin (Democrat-Iowa) and Congressman Joseph Pitts (Republican-Pennsylvania) were addressing a conference on Kashmir organized by the Association of Humanitarian Lawyers and the Kashmir American Council headed by Ghulam Nabi Fai, an active supporter of Hurriyat, here at Congressional Building.
Welcoming the recent thaw in India-Pakistan relations resulting in the exchange of envoys and parliamentary delegations, Harkin said that the latest violence in Kashmir "demonstrates the urgency of the situation."
The leaders of Pakistan and India, he said, will have to include discussions generally and on Kashmir. "I would strongly urge both leaders to accelerate the peace process." Harkin said he has been working for a peaceful resolution of the conflict for quite some time. In June 1998, he introduced a sense-of-the-senate resolution urging the US government to promote peace and stability in the region and assist in the normalization of relations between India and Pakistan.
"I am hopeful that the leaders of India and Pakistan will seize the moment at hand to take concrete steps for the resolution of this conflict," he said.
Congressman Pitts said that the goal of the conference was to explore the varying perspectives of the Kashmir issue as well as to discuss avenues of a dialogue and other means for the peaceful resolution of the conflict.
The tension over Kashmir, he said, "Needs to be resolved sooner rather than later, not only, and importantly, to end the humanitarian suffering but also to end opportunities for mavericks on any side of the issue to continue the violence for their own ends."
The current increase in terrorism around the world, with extremists in various religions manipulating their religions for their own ends, makes it imperative that a solution to the tensions over the Kashmir issue be found," he said. Bureau Report
Welcoming the recent thaw in India-Pakistan relations resulting in the exchange of envoys and parliamentary delegations, Harkin said that the latest violence in Kashmir "demonstrates the urgency of the situation."
The leaders of Pakistan and India, he said, will have to include discussions generally and on Kashmir. "I would strongly urge both leaders to accelerate the peace process." Harkin said he has been working for a peaceful resolution of the conflict for quite some time. In June 1998, he introduced a sense-of-the-senate resolution urging the US government to promote peace and stability in the region and assist in the normalization of relations between India and Pakistan.
"I am hopeful that the leaders of India and Pakistan will seize the moment at hand to take concrete steps for the resolution of this conflict," he said.
Congressman Pitts said that the goal of the conference was to explore the varying perspectives of the Kashmir issue as well as to discuss avenues of a dialogue and other means for the peaceful resolution of the conflict.
The tension over Kashmir, he said, "Needs to be resolved sooner rather than later, not only, and importantly, to end the humanitarian suffering but also to end opportunities for mavericks on any side of the issue to continue the violence for their own ends."
The current increase in terrorism around the world, with extremists in various religions manipulating their religions for their own ends, makes it imperative that a solution to the tensions over the Kashmir issue be found," he said. Bureau Report