A prominent Pakistani-American organization Sunday welcomed Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s call for restoration of the rights of people in Indian occupied Kashmir as well as those of Muslims and other minorities in India, with the hope that, as US president, he would take immediate practical steps to uphold their respective causes.
Biden, a former US vice president, drew attention to the Kashmir issue and the plight of Indian Muslims in a policy paper, entitled: “Joe Biden’s agenda for Muslim American community’ which his campaign unveiled on Friday. He also expressed disappointment over the Prime Minister’s Narendra Modi’s other controversial measures, including Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Register of Citizens in Assam, that discriminate against Muslims. “We warmly welcome Mr. Biden’s policy declaration in support of people in occupied Kashmir and Muslims in India”, Dr. Ijaz Ahmed, chairman of the American-Pakistani Public Affairs Committee (APPAC), issued here.
The APPPAC chairman said Biden’s pronouncements reflected his determination to promote peace, justice and equality in the world and that the US Democratic leader would have their full support. By highlighting the human rights violations in Indian occupied Kashmir and the discriminatory policies against Muslims and other minorities in India, he said that Biden had fully exposed the really nature of ‘democracy’ in that country.
Last week, Biden held a virtual meeting with Dr. Ijaz Ahmed and several members of the Pakistani-American community during which he sought their support for his White House bid.
Meanwhile APPAC has announced that its leadership is scheduled to meet DNC chair Tom Perez on June 30th to highlight community concerns.
