US Congressional delegation visits Azad Kashmir

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Sunday said a high level US Congressional delegation comprising Senators Chris Van Hollen and Maggie Hassan has visited Muzaffarabad, Azad Kashmir.

The purpose of the visit was to see the ground situation and gauge public sentiment following the 5 August illegal Indian actions in the occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

A detailed briefing on the current situation on LoC was given by Major General Amer.

US Senator denied entry into Indian Occupied Kashmir

The newspaper reported that Senator Chris Van Hollen is part of a group of US Senators who have expressed serious concern over the alarming human rights situation in occupied Kashmir, which has been under a military curfew since August 5.

The delegation also called on the President Sardar Masood Khan and Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

The Leadership of Azad Kashmir thanked the two Senators for the visit and appreciated their support for the just cause of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

While offering them to see first hand the vibrant and thriving Kashmiri community in Azad Kashmir, the US delegation was apprised of the historical background of the Jammu & Kashmir dispute and the deteriorating situation in the Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir in wake of prolonged curfew and suppression of fundamental rights and freedoms, particularly since 5 August.

The leadership of Azad Jammu and Kashmir expressed the hope that delegation’s visit to AJK would help them have first hand information, understanding the prevailing humanitarian crisis in IOJK and explaining the ground situation to their colleagues on the Capitol Hill and in the Administration upon return to the United States.

It was noted that the Indian Government’s policy of denial to allow neutral observers to visit the occupied Jammu and Kashmir had exposed the specious India’s “all is well “propaganda.

President Masood Khan and Prime Minister Farooq Haider both urged the US Senators to play their role in saving the people of IOJK from India’s repressive brutal measures and pressing India to resolve the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with UNSC resolutions. Among other things, they also shared the vision and priorities of AJK Government, which were focused on governance, rule of law and development.

The US Senators said that they shared the human rights concerns and would continue to urge India to lift the curfew and release all prisoners as a first step. They also expressed their resolve to remain engaged for the resolution of the dispute.