United States slams
Pakistan with a new resolution
On July 2nd, 99 in a
significant move that further strengthens India's stand on Kargil,
the House of International Relations Committee of United States
overwhelmingly approved a resolution and an amendment, condemning
Pakistan for its "armed incursion" into Kargil and
calling for an immediate withdrawal of forces from Indian
territory.
The original resolution was introduced on June 30th, 1999 by 14 US
Congressmen, led by Republican leader Benjamin Gilman, who urged
the Clinton Administration to draw up a definite policy to oppose
the Pakistani government's support for armed incursion in Jammu
and Kashmir.
US Congressman: Benjamin Gilman
The resolution says the armed forces in Kashmir include
well-trained and heavily armed Afghans and Pakistanis associated
with Afghan-based Terrorist leader Osama Bin Laden, the
Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, and the Pakistan government. Pakistan's
strategy is to support the armed incursion into Kashmir and
renegotiate the LoC, it says. It also adds that Pakistani-backed
armed Islamic forces, and Pakistani regulars, have crossed from
Pakistan into Jammu and Kashmir and occupied Indian military
positions that were temporarily abandoned for the winter season.
The resolution added this incursion has the financial and military
support of Pakistan.
Gilman, who is chairman of the House international relations
committee, while moving the document on Tuesday, said Pakistan had
long supported terrorism in India. But he said, "this latest
incident is far beyond the usual murder of innocent civilians on
train or at a wedding party."
He added, "The Pakistani army, intelligence services and
government have moved thousands of men and materials up to the
Pakistani side of the Line of Control (LoC) and sent hundreds of
army regulars across the line. The Pakistan army is laying down
artillery fire in support of the Pakistani invaders."
Making a speech while introducing the resolution, Gilman covered a
whole gamut of issues that affect India from Pakistani support for
terrorism to Chinese proliferation activities in south Asia. He
even touched on China's "close relationship with Burma's
narco-dictatorship on India's eastern border."
Gilman blamed the state department for pursuing a policy that
increased India's sense of insecurity with regard to China, a
country that transferred nuclear weapons technology to Pakistan.
But his sharpest words were reserved for Pakistan and its
army/intelligence establishment.
He blamed Pakistan for Kargil, saying that the Pakistani military
and political leaders had "moved thousands of men and
materials up to the Pakistani side of the LoC and sent hundreds of
army regulars across the line."
In addition to giving "political, moral and material"
support, Congressman Gilman, in his speech, said the Pakistan
government supported training camps for terrorists that operated
around the world.
He said the Clinton administration's non-proliferation policy had
helped bring about India's sense of insecurity by inadequately
responding to China's violation of the nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty (NPT). "We must not forget that China sold and
transferred nuclear weapons technology to Pakistan," he
added.
"If India, or any other nation, is expected to refrain from
building a nuclear deterrent, then the US and other nuclear powers
must ensure that these non-nuclear nations are not bullied by
their nuclear neighbors," he said adding, "India's
(nuclear) testing must be understood in terms of its verifiable,
objective security concerns and how the world's nuclear powers
have responded to these concerns."
Although on July 2nd Congressmen like Dana Rohrabacher, Dan Burton
and Peter King tried to oppose the resolution, it was passed with
overwhelming majority.
Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, California Republican and old-time
ally of Pakistan, felt that the resolution was too one-sided. He
then introduced a resolution asking that the measure in front of
the committee should seek a plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir, as
decided in an outdated UN resolution. Congressman Dan Burton, an
Indiana Republican who is known for his alliance to the Khalistan
movement immediately supported Rohrabacher's suggestion.
Congressman Peter King, New York Republican, also made an effort
to support Rohrabacher and Burton's agenda.
Congressman Gary Ackerman, New York Democrat and a leading member
of the House International Relations Committee, refuted all the
points raised by Rohrabacher and Burton. Ackerman pointed out that
the UN resolution on Kashmir had three points: (1) a cease-fire;
(2) Pak troops, tribals and nationals to withdraw from Jammu and
Kashmir; and (3) a plebiscite to take place after the first two
conditions had been met. "If you want to talk about a UN
resolution, let us talk about the first two points", he said.
Noting that Pakistan had never withdrawn a single soul from the
area, Ackerman insisted that the situation had been overtaken by
later events such as the Shimla Agreement and the Lahore
Declaration. The Committee rejected the Rohrbacher amendment 20-8.
US Congressman: Gary Ackerman
Ackerman also offered an amendment encouraging the Clinton
Administration to oppose loans to Pakistan from the international
financial institutions until Islamabad withdrew its forces from
the Kargil-Drass-Batalik areas. The measure was passed by a vote
of 22 to 5 and is expected to come before the full House when it
reconvenes on July 12.
In his speech introducing the amendment, Ackerman stated that it
was time for the US Administration to turn up the heat against
Islamabad to bring to a close the continued occupation of Indian
territory both by Pakistani forces and its surrogates, such as the
Islamic Afghan mercenaries and the fundamentalist mujahideen.
"It is time for action", he added, "some definite
action that will clearly send a message across to the recalcitrant
forces that control Pakistan's military that enough is enough;
that this is not the way a responsible nuclear power behaves
endangering international peace and security; and that if Pakistan
does not change its behavior by immediately withdrawing its
forces, it must recognize that there will be consequences for
violating global peace and security".
Ackerman commended India's self-restraint and judicious response
to the Islamic intrusion and remarked, "This is India's first
television war. Images of body bags carrying fallen Indian
soldiers on the Himalayan heights are filling the TV screens.
Widows and mothers, as we know, are powerful societal forces. Many
voices are loudly calling on the Vajpayee administration to
"teach" the Pakistanis a lesson.
He added, "Despite these raw emotions churning the democratic
nation of nearly a billion people, despite India having every
justification to strike back against Pakistan in a full-scale
manner, the Vajpayee administration has displayed Herculean
restraint. That restraint, and the wisdom of the Indian leadership
in realizing that in restraint is the true measure of real power,
must be saluted and commended by all democratic forces in the
world. "Even in war, Mr. Chairman, we are seeing something
very Indian, something very Gandhian, very Christian. And, I
believe, something truly amazing".
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