New Delhi: A top American diplomat on Friday urged New Delhi to release “political leaders detained without charge” in Kashmir and stressed on the principle of equal protection under the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
Political leaders are in detention since the lockdown that was imposed in the union territory last August.
Addressing a news briefing in Washington DC, the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Alice Wells said: “I was pleased to see some incremental steps, including the partial return of internet service in Kashmir. And the visit by our ambassador and other foreign diplomats to Jammu and Kashmir is something that I know was extensively covered in the press. We see this as a useful step.”
She added: “We also continue to urge the government to permit regular access by our diplomats, and to move swiftly to release those political leaders detained without charge.”
Foreign diplomats from 15 countries had visited Jammu and Kashmir earlier this month, however they were not given access to Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah or Mehbooba Mufti – former Chief Ministers and the leaders of the two political parties that have historically dominated Jammu and Kashmir’s politics – who remain under detention.
Speaking about the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) Ms Wells in her briefing, said that the US stressed on the principle of equal protection under the law.
The contentious CAA promises citizenship to only non-Muslim refugees from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh who came to India before 2015. It is being called discriminatory by the opposition.
NDTV quoted Ms Wells as saying “The visit also offered an opportunity to hear more regarding developments with India’s Citizenship Amendment Act, which is undergoing I would say a vigorous democratic scrutiny, whether it’s in the streets, by the political opposition, media, and the courts. We continue to underscore the importance of the principle of equal protection under the law”.
Critics of CAA believe that the law makes religion a test of Indian citizenship for the first time and is in violation of the constitution. Combined with the planned National Register of Citizens (NRC) the CAA targets Muslims who are not able to prove their ancestry.