Robert J. Giuda, State Representative/Deputy Majority Leader, New Hampshire House of Representatives, on Wednesday said Kashmir is classified by the UN as a 'disputed territory', it lies within what is arguably the most dangerous region in the world.
He stated this while appearing before the Congressional Committee hearing, chaired by Congressman Dan Burton at the Capitol Hill.
He said Kashmir today is home to the largest concentration of ground forces on earth since World War II, adding: "Some 700,000 troops and paramilitaries - half India's standing Army - are garrisoned among IOK's 6 million people, and this equates to one armed combatant for every 11 civilians."
"Everyday, unspeakable atrocities occur at the hands of India's Army of occupation. Even as India proclaims to the world its desire to reach a political solution to the conflict, Indian law immunises its army and police forces from prosecution for actions committed under the colour of 'prevention of terrorism', enabling a hideous government-sanctioned repertoire of torture, rape, murder, arson, and custodial killing", he added.
Robert J. Giuda said Pakistan allows UN observers and human rights organisation unfettered access to Free Kashmir, while India denies access to substantial parts of IOK. One must ask, "why are no observers allowed?" what is India hiding."
He said: "India cleverly deflects attention from its actions in occupied Kashmir by claiming that the Kashmiri insurgency is really Muslim-incited cross-border terrorism' (allegedly) supported by Pakistan.
"My lengthy personal discussions with President Musharraf indicate otherwise," he added.
Rep. Giuda said India's success with this charade depends on public ignorance of the exemption of indigenous freedom struggles from the UN definition of 'terrorism.'
He submitted before the Congressional Committee that "Kashmiri resistance to Indian repression is little different than the resistance of American colonists to British occupation during US War of Independence."
He, however, assured that the British never committed such atrocities as are part of daily life in occupied Kashmir, saying India began occupation of Kashmir by invading it in 1947.
Rep. Giuda said during the past 15 years with statutory immunity, the Indian Army has killed two percent of Kashmir's mostly Muslim male population, raped some 9,000 Kashmiri Muslim women, and orphaned more than 100,000 Kashmiri Muslim children.
"When considered in aggregate, these actions, committed by the Indian military with full knowledge of the highest levels of Indian government, comprise genocide against Kashmiri Muslims, and are chargeable both as war crimes and as crimes against humanity", he said, adding : "This murderous paradigm - military brutality, immunity from prosecution and denial of access - is anathema to the rule of law and lethal to the advancement of human rights." He pointed out that one fundamental principle is essential to resolution of the Kashmir conflict - "that is the principle of self-determination upon which our own United States was founded, and for which the blood of Americans has been shed many times around the globe."
Rep Giuda is also the chairman of the Americans for Resolution of Kashmir (ARK).