05-10-2004, 10:49 PM
<b>Hate fest </b>
Dan Burton, the anti-India pro-Pakistani Congressman who chairs the Congressional Subcommittee on Human Rights and Wellness, is holding a hearing on Human Rights Status in Kashmir on Wednesday, May 12, 2004 at 10 am at 2154 Main Hearing Room, House Rayburn Office Building in Washington DC.
Following is a list of the witnesses:
Panel One:
Michael Kozak
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor
United States State Department
David Good
Director
Office of India, Nepal and Sri Lanka Affairs
United States State Department
Panel Two:
<b>T. Kumar</b> <!--emo&:o--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/ohmy.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='ohmy.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Advocacy Director -Asia
Amnesty International - USA
Panel Three:
<b>Bob Giuda</b> <!--emo&:thumbdown--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbsdownsmileyanim.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='thumbsdownsmileyanim.gif' /><!--endemo--> <!--emo&:devil--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/devilsmiley.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='devilsmiley.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Chairman
Americans for Resolution of Kashmir
<b>Ghulam-Nabi Fai</b> <!--emo&:devil--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/devilsmiley.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='devilsmiley.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Executive Director
Kashmiri American Council
<b>Gurmit Singh Aulakh</b> <!--emo&:lol:--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='laugh.gif' /><!--endemo-->
President
Council of Khalistan
<b>Attiya Inayatullah</b> <!--emo&:lol:--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='laugh.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Aid Worker
<b>Selig Harrison</b> <!--emo&:omg--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/omg.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='omg.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Director of the Asia Program
Center for International Policy
The last named was arranged at the instance of USINPAC.
Certainly Hearings that objectively investigate human rights abuses, assess the horrors and denigration suffered by the victims and accurately informs and educates the American public are welcome. However, witnnesses like Gurmit Singh Aulakh lack credibility. He has been barred from Congressional Offices for misrepresentation and deceit.
Mr. Burton has made serious allegations, such as âgang rape of Muslim womenâ by Indian military personnel, which are unsubstantiated by the Congressional Research Service, the U.S. Department of State or nongovernmental organizations such as Amnesty International or various Western media outlets operating in the Indian State of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K).
On the contrary, Mr. Burton has failed to note the escalation of human rights abuses in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK) and in Pakistan in general as cited in the U.S. State Departmentâs human rights reports and also in Amnesty Internationalâs reports for the last several years. Mr. Burton has further failed to note the U.S. Governmentâs assessment of significant human rights abuses committed by Pakistan-based and Pakistani Government supported Jehadi groups operating in J&K. Several of these Jehadi groups and Islamic charities operating in J&K have been sanctioned by the United States as terrorist organizations with direct ties to Al Qaeda.
Mr. Burton has remarked that the primary reason for the violence in Kashmir is due to Indiaâs refusal to grant the residents of J&K the right of self-determination. Yet, he ignores the praises from then U.S. Ambassador to India Robert Blackwill on the free and fair elections held in J&K where voter turn out was at sixty percent and many came to the polls despite the threats and attacks on voters by Pakistani Jehadi groups. On the other hand, the residents of POK not only suffer daily reprisals from the Pakistani Military and Intelligence Service as well as Pakistani Jehadi groups (including Al Qaeda training camps who have relocated from Afghanistan), they also do not enjoy the rights of Pakistani citizenship.
It's important that the House Subcommittee on Wellnesss & Human Rights which is chaired by Rep Burton, conduct the hearing with fairness, accuracy and objectivity.
<b>ACTION NEEDED BY YOU </b>
Please call your House Representative to let him/her know about the hearing. Request him/her to attend the hearing, if possible, and insist that the hearing is conducted with objectivity, fairness, accuracy of information, and credibility of witnesses. To find out who your House Representative is, click here and type your zip code in the box under 'Elected Officials'. Click: "GO".
Below are some questions which you may wish to urge your House Representative to raise during the hearings.
Ram Narayanan
PS: Since there is very little time, please act TODAY. After calling your Congressman, please forward this message to your friends/relations who may be in touch with their US House Representatives. Please do not circulate this message to any one other than those whom you know well.
I have removed questions
Dan Burton, the anti-India pro-Pakistani Congressman who chairs the Congressional Subcommittee on Human Rights and Wellness, is holding a hearing on Human Rights Status in Kashmir on Wednesday, May 12, 2004 at 10 am at 2154 Main Hearing Room, House Rayburn Office Building in Washington DC.
Following is a list of the witnesses:
Panel One:
Michael Kozak
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor
United States State Department
David Good
Director
Office of India, Nepal and Sri Lanka Affairs
United States State Department
Panel Two:
<b>T. Kumar</b> <!--emo&:o--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/ohmy.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='ohmy.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Advocacy Director -Asia
Amnesty International - USA
Panel Three:
<b>Bob Giuda</b> <!--emo&:thumbdown--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbsdownsmileyanim.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='thumbsdownsmileyanim.gif' /><!--endemo--> <!--emo&:devil--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/devilsmiley.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='devilsmiley.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Chairman
Americans for Resolution of Kashmir
<b>Ghulam-Nabi Fai</b> <!--emo&:devil--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/devilsmiley.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='devilsmiley.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Executive Director
Kashmiri American Council
<b>Gurmit Singh Aulakh</b> <!--emo&:lol:--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='laugh.gif' /><!--endemo-->
President
Council of Khalistan
<b>Attiya Inayatullah</b> <!--emo&:lol:--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='laugh.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Aid Worker
<b>Selig Harrison</b> <!--emo&:omg--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/omg.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='omg.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Director of the Asia Program
Center for International Policy
The last named was arranged at the instance of USINPAC.
Certainly Hearings that objectively investigate human rights abuses, assess the horrors and denigration suffered by the victims and accurately informs and educates the American public are welcome. However, witnnesses like Gurmit Singh Aulakh lack credibility. He has been barred from Congressional Offices for misrepresentation and deceit.
Mr. Burton has made serious allegations, such as âgang rape of Muslim womenâ by Indian military personnel, which are unsubstantiated by the Congressional Research Service, the U.S. Department of State or nongovernmental organizations such as Amnesty International or various Western media outlets operating in the Indian State of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K).
On the contrary, Mr. Burton has failed to note the escalation of human rights abuses in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK) and in Pakistan in general as cited in the U.S. State Departmentâs human rights reports and also in Amnesty Internationalâs reports for the last several years. Mr. Burton has further failed to note the U.S. Governmentâs assessment of significant human rights abuses committed by Pakistan-based and Pakistani Government supported Jehadi groups operating in J&K. Several of these Jehadi groups and Islamic charities operating in J&K have been sanctioned by the United States as terrorist organizations with direct ties to Al Qaeda.
Mr. Burton has remarked that the primary reason for the violence in Kashmir is due to Indiaâs refusal to grant the residents of J&K the right of self-determination. Yet, he ignores the praises from then U.S. Ambassador to India Robert Blackwill on the free and fair elections held in J&K where voter turn out was at sixty percent and many came to the polls despite the threats and attacks on voters by Pakistani Jehadi groups. On the other hand, the residents of POK not only suffer daily reprisals from the Pakistani Military and Intelligence Service as well as Pakistani Jehadi groups (including Al Qaeda training camps who have relocated from Afghanistan), they also do not enjoy the rights of Pakistani citizenship.
It's important that the House Subcommittee on Wellnesss & Human Rights which is chaired by Rep Burton, conduct the hearing with fairness, accuracy and objectivity.
<b>ACTION NEEDED BY YOU </b>
Please call your House Representative to let him/her know about the hearing. Request him/her to attend the hearing, if possible, and insist that the hearing is conducted with objectivity, fairness, accuracy of information, and credibility of witnesses. To find out who your House Representative is, click here and type your zip code in the box under 'Elected Officials'. Click: "GO".
Below are some questions which you may wish to urge your House Representative to raise during the hearings.
Ram Narayanan
PS: Since there is very little time, please act TODAY. After calling your Congressman, please forward this message to your friends/relations who may be in touch with their US House Representatives. Please do not circulate this message to any one other than those whom you know well.
I have removed questions