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Washington Rally To Keep Alive Kargil 'Treachery'

Joseph Mark in Washington

While Pakistan has agreed to order the Mujahideen and its armed forces out from Kargil, Indian community groups in the federal capital feel they should continue reminding American leaders about Pakistan's treachery.

In fact, the idea of holding a rally gathered momentum after Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharief met with President Bill Clinton last week and announced that Pakistan will end the undeclared war.

Early this week, several Indian American organizations in Washington area announced a protest rally outside the Pakistan embassy on July 15 at 11 am. This will be followed by a meeting with Congressmen at the US Capitol.

The organizers expect to meet with such Congressmen as Gary Ackerman and Frank Pallone, who have served as India's most outspoken champions in Washington. The organizers were also trying to set up meetings with Senators and Representatives who are war veterans.

"We want to bring to their attention the barbarity perpetuated by Pakistan against Indian soldiers," said one organizer. "We want them to know how Islamabad has violated human rights and war conventions.

"The naked aggression should not be forgotten. It is an affront to civilization. Sharief should not be allowed to portray himself as a good guy who wants peace," she added. "There is some talk that he was overtaken by surprise by the turn of events in Kargil and he was opposed to the idea of battling along the Line of Control. We do not believe that theory."

Other organizers felt the Indian community should not feel complacent now that the war is ending. It should continue raising money to help the families of the soldiers who lost their lives or who are seriously injured, several organizers said.

"We want to do several things apart from expressing the outrage at the naked aggression by Pakistan forces on Indian territory in Kashmir," said Giridhar Tatavarti, one of the volunteers.

"We also want to condemn the brutal mutilation of Indian soldiers by Pakistan, and pay homage to our brave soldiers who laid down their lives defending the motherland," a statement from the organizers asserted.

Over a dozen Indian organizations, including the National Federation of Indian Associations and pro-BJP groups, are involved in the protest. As in the Golden Gate protests in San Francisco, in Washington, too, the Indian American community would be united, said Parthasarathy Pillai, the NFIA leader.

They will meet at 10.45 pm at the park in front of Du Pont Circle Metro on Red Line, and go to 2315 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, to the Pakistan embassy.

The rally would also draw attention to the plight of Kashmiri Pandits who have been targets of the terror campaign and ethnic cleansing, the statement said.

Kashmiri Pandits in the Bay Area last month had insisted in playing a big role in the Golden Gate Bridge protest.

"The human right violations in Kashmir is not something new," one of the Kashmiri Pandits had said then. "It began immediately after Partition when efforts began to be made to throw us out of Jammu and Kashmir. And the world should know about it."

More details can be found at http://jammukashmir.webjump.com

Contact, Parthasarthy Pillai, (301) 935-5321, Archana Patel, (703) 750-9192, Ram Gehani, (301) 340-8967 or Giridhar Tatavarti, (703) 322-0146; giridhar_t@yahoo.com

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