Pakistan and its intelligence service have played a key role in fostering the Taliban and allowing it to eventually take over Afghanistan, a top Republican lawmaker has alleged, stating that it is disgusting to watch Islamabad celebrate the group's victory that will bring "untold brutality" to Afghans.
Congressman Steve Chabot, Co-Chair of the India Caucus, said in his address to the virtual gala of Hindu Political Action Committee on Sunday that he applauds the Indian government for welcoming the Afghan religious minorities who have a good reason to fear persecution at the hands of the Taliban and their evil rule.
In contrast, we all know that Pakistan and particularly its intelligence services played a key role fostering the Taliban and allowing them to eventually take over. It's just disgusting to watch Pakistani officials celebrate the victory of this group that will bring untold brutality to the Afghan people, Chabot said.
Pakistan's own persecution of religious minorities, however, gets a lot less attention here in America than it deserves. We would do well to educate our fellow citizens about these abuses. Persecution is particularly manifests in the heinous practice of the kidnapping, force conversion to Islam and forced marriage of underage Hindu girls to older Muslim men, he said.
Such allegations are not mere hearsay, he noted.
Major news organisations and human rights groups have documented the practice with so many heartbreaking stories of girls in their early teens taken from their families, and traffic into forced marriages. These abuses are often just ignored, said the Congressman.
In his address, Chabot said that with roughly 6 million Hindus in America, Hindus are unquestionably an integral part of society throughout the United States.
Through strong work ethic and high educational attainment, Hindus exemplify the American dream. These virtues also allow Hindus to take on key roles in communities across the country, and also give back to those communities in so many ways, he said.
That is why the reports of a rise in discrimination against Hindu Americans around the country are so concerning, he rued, adding that there is no place in America for such discrimination.
We must all seek ways to bring it to an end, Chabot added.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Dear Reader,
Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.
We, however, have a request.
As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.
Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard.
Digital Editor
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU