Rep. Sherrod Brown Discusses India-US N-Deal,  Kashmir

INDIA-WEST- June 16,  2006     National ---  U.S
By a Staff Reporter

Fremont, Ca.  -----Congressman Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, was  welcomed by a
large contingent of supporters at a luncheon at the home of Usha and Jeevan Zutshi
in Fremont hills June 11.

He spoke for more than three hours on issues including the  plight of
Kashmiri Pandits and the proposed civilian nuclear agreement between  India and the
U.S., at a fundraiser organized by the Whittier, Calif. based  Indian American
Friendship Council.

Council Founder Dr. Krishna Reddy said  Brown is a  lawmaker whose positions
on social issues agree with the majority.  "He cares about India and is a very
balanced  politician," Reddy added.

Dr. Subroto Kundu, Kul Gupta  and Ro Khanna emphasized the advantages of
nuclear co-operation between the  world's two largest  democracies.
Brown said he was positively  influenced by their input and the audience's
support - to the extent  that any  misgivings he seemed to have had about the
pact appeared to have  been removed.

Gaurang Desai and Gautam Desai lamented  that almost 350,000 Pandits who have
been forced to flee Kashmir since  1990 are still languishing in tents in the
environs of Jammu.

  
Event host Jeevan Zutshi, founding  member of Indo-American Kashmir Forum,
pointed out that Brown was the  "first U.S. lawmaker to condemn the human rights
violations against  this peaceful small intellectual community."  
A series of resolutions  recognizing the plight of the Kashmiri Pandits,
signed by Congressman Joe  Wilson, R-S.C, and Gary Ackerman, d-N.Y., were
presented to  Brown who immediately indicated his willingness to co-sponsor them.  
The  resolutions condemn human rights violations  against the Pandits,
urge Pakistan to end cross-border  terrorism, and encourage India and the
state government of Jammu and Kashmir to ensure that Kashmiri Pandits are  
treated with dignity and allowed to return safely to Kashmir.
Dr. Vijay Chowdhury  and Sunil Dhar, former directors of Kashmiri overseas
association,  described the miserable conditions in Pandit camps, a narration
that seemed to  especially move Brown's wife, Connie, who accompanied her
husband to west  coast.  
Zutshi provided her  with a copy of a report on camp conditions by Deepak
Ganju of  Florida, the current national  President of Kashmiri overseas
association. Ganju recently spent April in  Kashmir on a fact-finding mission
He also presented the  couple with a second Annual Hindu Human Rights report
on the status of Hindus in  regions of South Asia where they are minorities.
The report is titled, "Hindus  in South Asia and the Diaspora: A Survey of
Human Rights (2005)", was  commissioned by the Hindu American Foundation, founded
by Dr. Mihir  Meghani, who supported the Brown fundraiser but couldn't be
present  due to some prior engagement.
The meeting  concluded with a vote of thanks by Rahul Zutshi.