7 US lawmakers write to Pompeo

Amritsar: Seven US Congressmen have written to US secretary of state Mike Pompeo, urging him to raise the issue of farmers’ protest in India with his Indian counterpart. While stating that they respect the right of the Indian government to determine its national policy, they said they also acknowledge the rights of those in India and abroad who are currently protesting peacefully against the new farm laws.

India has asserted that the matter pertains to country’s internal affairs and termed the remarks by foreign leaders and politicians on protests by farmers as “ill-informed” and “unwarranted”.

“We are compelled to reach out to you after seeing in the international press that protesting farmers from Punjab, who were marching peacefully to Delhi were brutally subjected to water cannon attacks, barbed wire barricades and tear gas by the security personnel,” the US lawmakers stated.

They said, “Many Indian Americans are directly affected as they have family members and ancestral land in Punjab and are concerned for the well-being of their families in India.” They had also urged Pompeo to reinforce the commitment of US to the freedom of political speech abroad. The letter is signed by Donald Norcross, Brendan F Boyle, Brian Fitzpatrick, Pramila Jayapal, Mary Gay Scanlon, Debbie Dingell, and David Trone.

Reacting to the letter, Sikh Coordination Committee East Coast coordinator Himmat Singh said it was due to their lobbying, alongwith American Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and American Sikh Cucus, that the seven Congressmen had written to Pompeo.