Washington, DC [US], May 7 (ANI): US lawmakers, national security experts, human rights advocates, and faith leaders convened at the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill today for a high-level congressional briefing titled 'Pakistan's Proxy War Against Hindus: Global Implications,' an official statement by Hindu Action reported.

The urgently called session addressed Pakistan's continued role in enabling jihadist violence, with particular focus on the recent targeted massacres in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.

The May 5 event was organised by HinduACTion in collaboration with the Global Kashmiri Pandit Diaspora (GKPD) and the Kashmir Overseas Association USA (KOA). Six congressional staffers representing both major US parties were in attendance. The proceedings began on a solemn note, with HinduACTion's Paro Sarkar leading a minute of silence for each of the victims of the Pahalgam killings, during which their names were read aloud, followed by recitations of slokas from the Bhagavad Gita.

Sushant Sareen, a counter-terrorism expert from the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), addressed the gathering with a direct call for American lawmakers to acknowledge the revival of Pakistan-backed Islamic terrorism not just as a regional threat but as one with direct consequences for the United States. Sareen cautioned against falling for Pakistan's nuclear blackmail and emphasised the security stakes for the US.

Congressman Shri Thanedar delivered a passionate critique of the US administration's response to the Pahalgam jihad attack. 'More than just calls for calm are needed,' he said, urging American Hindus to become politically engaged. He further called on the Trump administration to treat India with the strategic respect reserved for close allies such as Israel.

Michael Rubin, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), delivered a stark assessment of Pakistan's complicity in terrorism. 'There is absolutely no question that Pakistan was involved in the deaths of dozens if not hundreds of Americans [in Afghanistan],' Rubin stated. '90 per cent of the fertiliser precursors used in Taliban IEDs came from one of two Pakistani factories. The idea that ISI didn't know is absolute nonsense.'

Rubin also emphasised the strength of the personal alliance between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former US President Donald Trump. Referencing historical alliances such as the one between Margaret Thatcher and George H. W. Bush, Rubin said: 'The personal relationship between Prime Minister Modi and President Trump is even tighter... What we need is for Modi not to simply call once but to call repeatedly -- and maybe not publicly -- but to give the message, 'don't go wobbly on me now, Don.' There is absolutely no excuse for the United States not to stand up for its top allies in the world's largest democracy.'

Clifford Smith, attorney and Government Affairs Director at the North American Values Institute (NAVI), compared the treatment of religious minorities in India and Pakistan. 'One may only look at the demographic decline of Pakistani Hindus over the decades, while India's Muslim population stayed relatively stable, to understand that these differences are not superficial,' Smith said.

Referring to anti-Hindu statements by Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir, he added, 'the difference between India and Pakistan is visible in the way the Asim Munir spoke before the Jihad attacks and how people in India spoke after the attack,' as per the press release.

Jesse Singh, Chairman of Sikhs of America, invoked the memory of the 1999 Chittisinghpura massacre in which 36 Sikhs were killed in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir. 'This same thing is happening to our Hindu brothers now,' Singh remarked, adding that Sikhs and Hindus have long resisted injustice in the region. 'The gurus sacrificed their lives for this,' he said, 'and that's not going to change.'

Suhag Shukla, Executive Director of the Hindu American Foundation (HAF), addressed the role of legacy Western media outlets in misrepresenting Hindu issues. She specifically called out the BBC and The Washington Post for perpetuating misinformation. Nikunj Trivedi, from the Coalition of Hindus of North America (COHNA), called attention to what he described as the anti-Hindu narratives promoted by radical Islamist-aligned organisations including CAIR, ICNA, the Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), and Hindus for Human Rights (HfHR).

Surinder Kaul of the Global Kashmiri Pandit Diaspora (GKPD) and Uphaar Kotru of the Kashmir Overseas Association USA (KOAUSA), representing the event's co-hosts, shared personal accounts of the long-standing suffering endured by Kashmiri Hindus. They were joined by US Department of Defense consultant Krystle Kaul, as all three issued a joint appeal for international solidarity against radical Islamist violence and for justice for persecuted Hindu communities.

Utsav Chakrabarti, Executive Director of HinduACTion, thanked all participants and acknowledged the attendance of five congressional staffers. Drawing attention to the continued financial relationship between the US and Pakistan, Chakrabarti revealed that between 2020 and 2024, Pakistan received between USD 1.5 and USD 2 billion in US foreign assistance, spanning civilian and humanitarian aid.

He added that during the same period, the US also sold approximately USD 600 million worth of military hardware to Pakistan, the press release stated.

Speaking on behalf of the organising groups, Chakrabarti concluded the briefing by issuing three urgent policy recommendations: first, for Congress to pass a bipartisan concurrent resolution declaring Pakistan a state sponsor of terrorism; second, for an immediate halt to all multilateral loans and economic aid to Pakistan; and third, for the enforcement of a complete ban on the sale of military and dual-use technologies to the country. (ANI)