SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), pictured here during impeachment hearings in the House Judiciary Committee, was the reason for Indian officials declining to meet with a delegation of lawmakers she was included in this week, according to The Washington Post. (Photo: Andrew Harrer-Pool/Getty Images)
'Deeply Disturbing': Indian Minister to Cancel Meeting With US Lawmakers Over Rep. Jayapal's Kashmir Criticism
"What are they hiding in Kashmir?"
Dec 19, 2019
India's minister of External Affairs on Thursday canceled a meeting with U.S. lawmakers, reportedly because the delegation from the House Foreign Affairs Committee included Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Washington Democrat who has been criticial of the Indian assault on the Kashmir region.
"I have no interest in meeting her," Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar told Indian news agency ANI of Jayapal.
Jayapal told The Washington Post's John Hudson, who broke the story, that she was disappointed in the decision.
\u201cThe cancellation of this meeting was deeply disturbing. \n\nIt only furthers the idea that the Indian government isn\u2019t willing to listen to any dissent at all.\u201d— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@Rep. Pramila Jayapal) 1576793043
An unwillingness on the part of Indian authorities to hear other views, said Jayapal, speaks to a broader problem in the way the country's government treats opposing views at a time when the world's most populous democracy is riven by internal conflict over a number of hardline policies, including a controversial citizenship bill targeted at Muslims.
"This only furthers the idea that the Indian government isn't willing to listen to any dissent at all," said Jayapal. "The seriousness of this moment should've been a reason for a conversation, not dictating who's in the meeting, which seems very petty."
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace India scholar Ashley Tellis told the Post that the decision to cancel the meeting represents "a missed opportunity" for the Indian government.
"Minister Jaishankar is incredibly thoughtful and articulate," said Tellis, "and not engaging with Congress, which has traditionally been a bastion of strong support for India, is shortsighted."
At issue was Jayapal's sponsorship of a resolution that would lift the four month-long communications blockade on Jammu and Kashmir that followed India's crackdown on the region in August and calls for the release of hundreds of political prisoners. Jaishankar's team asked Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) to remove Jayapal from the group meeting the minister, but Engel refused.
"What are they hiding in Kashmir?" wondered Rutgers assistant professor of South Asian history Audrey Truschke.
Jaishankar was in Washington alongside Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh for "2+2" talks with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark Esper. The talks, which encourage a high level of bilateral cooperation, came while India continues to face international pressure and scrutiny over its treatment of Kashmir and the country's 200 million-strong Muslim minority.
An Unconstitutional Rampage
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
India's minister of External Affairs on Thursday canceled a meeting with U.S. lawmakers, reportedly because the delegation from the House Foreign Affairs Committee included Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Washington Democrat who has been criticial of the Indian assault on the Kashmir region.
"I have no interest in meeting her," Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar told Indian news agency ANI of Jayapal.
Jayapal told The Washington Post's John Hudson, who broke the story, that she was disappointed in the decision.
\u201cThe cancellation of this meeting was deeply disturbing. \n\nIt only furthers the idea that the Indian government isn\u2019t willing to listen to any dissent at all.\u201d— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@Rep. Pramila Jayapal) 1576793043
An unwillingness on the part of Indian authorities to hear other views, said Jayapal, speaks to a broader problem in the way the country's government treats opposing views at a time when the world's most populous democracy is riven by internal conflict over a number of hardline policies, including a controversial citizenship bill targeted at Muslims.
"This only furthers the idea that the Indian government isn't willing to listen to any dissent at all," said Jayapal. "The seriousness of this moment should've been a reason for a conversation, not dictating who's in the meeting, which seems very petty."
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace India scholar Ashley Tellis told the Post that the decision to cancel the meeting represents "a missed opportunity" for the Indian government.
"Minister Jaishankar is incredibly thoughtful and articulate," said Tellis, "and not engaging with Congress, which has traditionally been a bastion of strong support for India, is shortsighted."
At issue was Jayapal's sponsorship of a resolution that would lift the four month-long communications blockade on Jammu and Kashmir that followed India's crackdown on the region in August and calls for the release of hundreds of political prisoners. Jaishankar's team asked Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) to remove Jayapal from the group meeting the minister, but Engel refused.
"What are they hiding in Kashmir?" wondered Rutgers assistant professor of South Asian history Audrey Truschke.
Jaishankar was in Washington alongside Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh for "2+2" talks with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark Esper. The talks, which encourage a high level of bilateral cooperation, came while India continues to face international pressure and scrutiny over its treatment of Kashmir and the country's 200 million-strong Muslim minority.
India's minister of External Affairs on Thursday canceled a meeting with U.S. lawmakers, reportedly because the delegation from the House Foreign Affairs Committee included Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Washington Democrat who has been criticial of the Indian assault on the Kashmir region.
"I have no interest in meeting her," Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar told Indian news agency ANI of Jayapal.
Jayapal told The Washington Post's John Hudson, who broke the story, that she was disappointed in the decision.
\u201cThe cancellation of this meeting was deeply disturbing. \n\nIt only furthers the idea that the Indian government isn\u2019t willing to listen to any dissent at all.\u201d— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@Rep. Pramila Jayapal) 1576793043
An unwillingness on the part of Indian authorities to hear other views, said Jayapal, speaks to a broader problem in the way the country's government treats opposing views at a time when the world's most populous democracy is riven by internal conflict over a number of hardline policies, including a controversial citizenship bill targeted at Muslims.
"This only furthers the idea that the Indian government isn't willing to listen to any dissent at all," said Jayapal. "The seriousness of this moment should've been a reason for a conversation, not dictating who's in the meeting, which seems very petty."
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace India scholar Ashley Tellis told the Post that the decision to cancel the meeting represents "a missed opportunity" for the Indian government.
"Minister Jaishankar is incredibly thoughtful and articulate," said Tellis, "and not engaging with Congress, which has traditionally been a bastion of strong support for India, is shortsighted."
At issue was Jayapal's sponsorship of a resolution that would lift the four month-long communications blockade on Jammu and Kashmir that followed India's crackdown on the region in August and calls for the release of hundreds of political prisoners. Jaishankar's team asked Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) to remove Jayapal from the group meeting the minister, but Engel refused.
"What are they hiding in Kashmir?" wondered Rutgers assistant professor of South Asian history Audrey Truschke.
Jaishankar was in Washington alongside Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh for "2+2" talks with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark Esper. The talks, which encourage a high level of bilateral cooperation, came while India continues to face international pressure and scrutiny over its treatment of Kashmir and the country's 200 million-strong Muslim minority.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.