U.S. senator blocked from visiting Kashmir as crackdown enters third month
U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen said he was refused permission to visit Kashmir on his trip to India this week as the Indian government’s clampdown in the restive region enters its third month.
Van Hollen is one of nearly 50 members of Congress who have expressed concern over the situation in Kashmir. Indian authorities have deployed thousands of additional troops, shut down Internet access and mobile phone service, arrested more than 3,000 people and detained nearly all of the region’s political leadership.…
Van Hollen, a Democrat who represents Maryland, said he asked to go to Kashmir so he could see the reality on the ground for himself. “If the Indian government has nothing to hide, they should not worry about people visiting Kashmir and witnessing the situation with their own eyes,” Van Hollen said in an interview Friday in New Delhi.…
SEE ALSO:
- The silencing of Kashmir: Arundhati Roy on India, Modi, and Fascism (Oct 3, 2019, The Intercept)
https://theintercept.com/2019/10/03/deconstructed-podcast-kashmir-india-arundhati-roy/ - Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren urges India to respect rights of people of Kashmir (Oct 5, 2019, The Hindu)
https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/democratic-presidential-candidate-elizabeth-warren-urges-india-to-respect-rights-of-people-of-kashmir/article29606299.ece - 9-Year-Olds Among Minors Detained, J&K Says Not Illegal, Top Court Told (Oct 2, 2019, NDTV)
https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/9-year-olds-among-minors-detained-j-k-says-not-illegal-top-court-told-2110211 - ‘How Can Centre Reopen 50,000 Temples in Valley, When There Are Only 4,000 in J&K?’ (Oct 5, 2019, The Wire)
https://thewire.in/rights/how-can-centre-reopen-50000-temples-in-valley-when-there-are-only-4000-in-jk
