|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
| Census |
| Get all factual data and information regarding Indian - American statistics |
|
|
| NEWS |
| Press releases and media archives concerning USINPAC and Indian American community |
|
|
| MEMBERSHIP |
| Detailed information on USINPAC membership |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| View News Details |
|
Community lobbies lawmakers on Pak |
|
2/13/2009 4:47:58 AM |
|
|
|
|
SOURCE : India Post News Service
WASHINGTON DC: In a collective effort reminiscent of that carried out by the Indian American community to get the Indo-US Nuclear Deal passed, the community has united once again to lobby American lawmakers to adopt a tougher line on terrorism emanating out of Pakistan after the Mumbai terror attacks. Nearly 200 representatives of the community affiliated to nine national organizations from across the country that formed the Indian American Task Force (IATF) launched the "Washington Chalo" campaign by converging on Capitol Hill on Jan 27 to meet with US lawmakers and urge them to make any aid to Pakistan conditional and pressure Pakistan to dismantle all terrorist training camps operating on its soil.
What the Task Force aims to do is to engage the US Congress and the Obama Administration to pass legislation with "real teeth" because the US does have the power to declare a State as a sponsor of terrorism and cut off financial aid to it, Mukesh Advani, San Francisco-based Task Force Joint Coordinator, told India Post. "The other option is to declare ISI (The Pakistani spy agency) a terrorist organization," he said.
"The US does have some options and we would like to tell them that these terror camps are a real threat to the US because they are training them for not just terror against India or Afghanistan, but against the US, Europe and Israel as well." Advani said that they were examining the pending Biden-Lugar bill and a similar, more comprehensive one introduced in the House of Representatives that subject aid to Pakistan to its performance in the War on Terror.
The group held a series of meetings with nearly 60 members of Congress who, to their credit, wholeheartedly supported the view that all American aid to Pakistan must be made conditional to its actions to shut down terrorist training camps. Among the Congressmen that the group met with were India Caucus Co-Chairs Jim McDermott (D-WA) and Joe Wilson (R-SC), Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Illeana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Cong. Howard Berman, Chair of House Foreign Relations Committee, California Congressman Ed Royce, Cong. Van Hollen (D-MD), Cong. Jim McDermott, and longtime Indian American supporters Representative Steve Israel (D-NY), Representative Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Representative Joe Crowley (D-NY), Cong. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) and Paul Hodes (D-NH).
The day-long meetings were capped by an evening reception held at the Rayburn Office building on Capitol Hill which was attended by some of these prominent Congressmen who exhorted the Indian American community to continue their efforts on this front. Among the lawmakers at the reception were Congressmen Jim McDermott, Joe Wilson, Howard Berman, Gregory Meeks, Ed Royce and Brad Miller all of whom said they would work together to make Pakistan accountable. The Task Force is a coalition of leading Indian American organizations including the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA), Association of Indians in America (AIA), Indian American Friendship Forum (IAFF), Indian American Forum for Political Education (IAFPE), Indian American Political Action Committee (IAPAC), National Federation of Indian American Associations (NFIA), Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO); and the US-India Political Action Committee (USINPAC).
"We identified many lawmakers who are willing to champion the need to make firmer demands of Pakistan in the fight against terrorism," said Sanjay Puri, Chairman of USINPAC. "We intend to keep the issue alive in the US Congress to "condition" future US military aid on Pakistan's efforts to close down terrorist training camps and better accountability of the funds." "The Mumbai attacks made us look at terrorism from a different perspective," Florida-based Dr Piyush Agrawal who is also President of GOPIO told India Post. "Mumbai issue internationalized Pakistan's role in terrorizing the whole world," he said. "And that has to be made clear to the people here (On the Hill). And that was the focus of our meetings with the lawmakers. Our job was to sensitize them to look at it from a different perspective -- like, looking at old wine in a new bottle." Of the Task Force, Agrawal said it was a loose coalition with a common cause and not a lobbying effort for India or against Pakistan. "We have to watch our own interest. As citizens it is our duty to tell our elected officials what is right or wrong and what we feel should be done."
"Our focus is not about stopping all aid to Pakistan but about conditioning it and making it accountable. The US government is funding the army in Pakistan so it needs to do something about it," New York-based investment banker Manish Thakur, joint coordinator of the Task Force told India Post. "What we are asking for is a piece of legislation that ties aid to Pakistan to concrete action that is verifiable," said Thakur. Responding to a question about Pakistani Americans launching a counter-lobbying effort with lawmakers, Advani told India Post, "No is fooled anymore in Congress; I think they were fooled enough during eight years of Bush Administration when the (former Pakistan President) Musharraf took them for a ride, did the minimum amount and took millions of dollars -- God knows where that money went.
I think the Congressmen are smart enough now, but their predicament is that without Pakistan's support they are going to lose the war in Afghanistan. It's a situation for them where the US has limited options, just like India does in terms of what it does with Pakistan." Leaders of the Task Force hope to expand it in the coming days to have more members, according to Advani. "The community is unified as never before, everybody is energized. I have high hopes," he said.
SRIREKHA N. CHAKRAVARTY (Reporting from Capitol Hill) |
|
|
|
 |
|
Untitled Document
|
|
