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WASHINGTON DC, (Sept. 26,
2006) – The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) expresses
profound disappointment that President George W. Bush has
failed thus far to elicit an unequivocal commitment from General
Pervez Musharraf, the Pakistan military dictator, to urgently
address human rights abuses against the Hindu minority in
his country and to immediately cease his government’s
direct sponsorship of Islamist terrorists operating in India.
Forced religious conversions, temple destructions and intimidation
of Hindus under the Musharraf regime have been extensively
detailed in a human rights report internationally released
by HAF in 2006.
That General Musharraf continues
to be praised as a “trusted” ally of the United
States for his dubious assistance in our war on terror, while
Osama bin Laden almost certainly resides on the same Pakistani
soil that nurtures a resurgent Taliban is shockingly myopic
and dangerous. The General’s recently published autobiographical
claims that there was no governmental support for the A.Q.
Khan global nuclear proliferation network seems bereft of
any credibility considering the sheer scale of that scheme.
We believe that the continued
appeasement of a ruthless authoritarian who flouts democratic
norms, leads an administration that supports several terror
groups banned by the U.S. State Department, and abuses the
human rights of minority Hindus in that country, erodes the
moral standing of the United States and encourages other rogue
regimes in the world. President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan
is directly facing the consequences of Musharraf’s neglect
and political scheming. HAF hopes that during their tripartite
talks today, President Bush categorically demands urgent,
verifiable action by General Musharraf to address the entirety
of these issues.
The Hindu American Foundation
is a non-profit 501(c)(3), non-partisan organization, promoting
the Hindu and American ideals of understanding, tolerance
and pluralism.
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