Frank Pallone: “I rise on the House floor this afternoon to express my deep concerns regarding the upcoming elections in Kashmir, which…”

“I rise on the House floor this afternoon to express my deep concerns regarding the upcoming elections in Kashmir, which begin on September 16. Mr. Speaker, I would like to first make it clear that Kashmir is a state within India, which is the largest democracy in the world. Given that India has operated under the traditions of democracy since independence, I am confident that Indian officials and their electoral commission are doing everything possible to ensure that the elections proceed under free and fair circumstances. In fact, this week myself and some of my colleagues who are members of the India Caucus met on a bipartisan basis, I should say, with the external minister, Sinha; and he told us very dramatically that the Indian Government, together with the electoral commission, are doing everything possible to make sure that these elections are held in free and fair circumstances. They have learned some of the lessons from the past about how to improve the voter turnout and to make sure that violence is not committed against those who would choose to exercise their right to vote. However, my concern stems not only from increased infiltration of terrorists at the Kashmiri line of control, but also from the surge of violence in the Kashmir region by Islamic fundamentalists, whose primary purpose is to thwart the elections in Kashmir.”