'Kamala Harris could play a meaningful role for people of Occupied Kashmir'

Anila Ali, the US interfaith leader and National Co-Chair of AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) Joe Biden Campaign in her analysis has said that Kamala Harris if elected as vice president of US could play a meaningful role in resolving the long-standing Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan.

Harris, born to an Indian mother and a Jamaican father who both immigrated to the United States to study, made history earlier this year when US Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden picked her as his vice president.

Anila said in her analysis that Pakistanis and Muslims around the world are concerned about Harris as vice president of world’s super power and what implications it could have for Pakistan.

Their concerns are mainly related to the human rights violations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and rising Islamophobia under the Narendra Modi-led government, she added.

Addressing these concerns, Anila maintained that although Senator Harris had never worked in the US Senate foreign affairs committee, she raised her voice for the people of IIOJK when Indian government unilaterally abrogated the Article 370 of the constitution in August last year which guaranteed the semi-autonomous status to the people of occupied valley.

She also told Modi that “we are watching” and also called him out on human rights abuse in IIOJK, Anila recalled Harris’ statement at that time.

Moreover, in 2019 India’s foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar had refused to meet the members of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs if representative, Pramila Jayapal who is Indian-born American was to be in the meeting. Pramila had criticised India over its Kashmir policy.

Anila said Senator Harris also rebuked the Indian foreign minister saying: “It is wrong for any foreign government to tell Congress what members are allowed in meeting on Capitol Hill.”

A Biden-Harris presidency will play more of a mediatory role in helping resume talks between India and Pakistan and help the people of Kashmir to get their right to self-determination, the Democratic party activist said.

She went on to say that Harris is expected to be the peacemaker and play a more neutral role as a negotiator between two nuclear-armed nations to bring stability in the South Asia region.