LAHORE: US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar said that meeting victims of Indian ceasefire violations and “seeing them suffer” had made it all the more necessary than before to raise Kashmir issue at the Congress.
“Having met the Kashmiri people in Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK), who nurse the bullet wounds, due to ceasefire violations by India, was an incredible experience and this first hand experience has put me under an obligation to stand for human rights and human dignity”, she said when asked about her stance on Kashmir and Palestine.
During her four-day visit on the invitation of the Pakistan government, the US Congresswoman visited the Line of Control (LoC) in AJK, met President, Prime Minister, cabinet members and leaders of political parties. She also visited the Walled City of Lahore.
Omar said she had always taken up the questions of Kashmir and Palestine in the Congress but did not have the opportunity to visit the place in person. “It was incredibly awful to meet the people first hand and ask them how they want to be in partnership with me as a lawmaker and advocate of (the) human rights.”
When asked if she would raise the issue at the Congress, she said having met the people in person and seeing them suffer made the necessity of raising the issue at the Congress more urgent than listening to it from the others.
READ MORE: Ilhan Omar assures to brief US Congress on situation in IoK
Ilhan Omar said living with the people disenfranchised and facing economic challenges, those who had not had full opportunity to educational opportunities, and those who were dealing with Islamophobia and racial discrimination, had prepared her to fight for the cause of the weak and the exploited, she affirmed.
The US Congresswoman recalling the experience of her first visit to Pakistan, said, “I have been humbled by the generosity of the political leaders in Pakistan, who put their differences aside and welcomed me with open arms during my visit to the Federal Capital.”
She dismissed the negative stories that people might have heard about Pakistan and said they would be pleasantly shocked to know how smooth and joyful her trip had been. “I enjoyed every bit of my stay,” Omar said.
Omar thanked the Pakistani government and the people for the warmth, generosity and hospitality, saying she had been treated as a family during her maiden short visit to the country.
On climate change, the US Congresswoman said it was a real issue and the United States, as a global leader, “thinks it important to make investments in the global community to ward off the challenges of climate change. There have to be investments in renewable energy to ensure our younger generations inherit a planet that is livable.”
Omar said she would fight the exploitative use of the water of Punjab rivers by India as she had done in the case of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.
In her message to the Pakistani diaspora in the US, she said their participation in the civil society and electoral process was vital to make a niche on the political scene in the United States. To the Pakistani girls and women, the US Congresswoman said the youth had limitless potential. She urged the women from the Pakistani minorities to take active part in politics to be heard.
