Indian FM cancels US congressional meeting over inclusion of pro-Kashmir lawmaker

• Chairman of House Foreign Affairs Committee refused to exclude Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal from the meeting.
• Jayapal said cancellation of meeting shows Indian government is not willing to listen to any dissent at all.

Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar cancelled a meeting with senior US congressional members after the group refused to exclude Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, who had criticized India’s policies in occupied Kashmir.

According to Washington Post,  Jaishankar, in his visit to Washington, was supposed to meet the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Republican Eliot L. Engel and others. The committee was informed by Indian officials that the foreign minister would not meet them unless the group excludes Jayapal.

However, Engel refused after which Jaishankar pulled out of the meeting.

The cancellation of this meeting was deeply disturbing.

It only furthers the idea that the Indian government isn’t willing to listen to any dissent at all. https://t.co/EMeqIr05VJ

— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@RepJayapal) December 19, 2019

Following the cancellation of the meeting, the congresswoman took to her Twitter handle and wrote that the cancellation of the meeting was 'deeply disturbing'. "It only furthers the idea that the Indian government isn’t willing to listen to any dissent at all," she tweeted.

“The seriousness of this moment should’ve been a reason for a conversation, not dictating who’s in the meeting, which seems very petty," she further said.

Tensions have been high between Pakistan and India after the Indian government revoked the special status granted to Indian occupied Kashmir. India also imposed a curfew in the region on August 5, which still persists.