Congressional Briefing, “Pakistan’s Proxy War Against Hindus: Global Implications / HinduACTion

A congressional briefing on May 5 highlighted Pakistan’s role in enabling jihadist violence against Hindus, including the April 22 targeted massacres at Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir.

Titled “Pakistan’s Proxy War Against Hindus: Global Implications,” the briefing was hosted by HinduACTion in partnership with Global Kashmiri Pandit Diaspora, and the Kashmir Overseas Association USA.

It brought together national security experts from the US and India, human rights advocates, and multifaith community leaders, who highlighted Pakistan’s sponsorship of extremist attacks and the growing need for the U.S. and its allies to stand firmly with India.

Also Read: Vance says US hopes Pakistan cooperates with India against Pakistan-based terrorists

U.S. Representative Shri Thanedar of Michigan said that the attack's timing—which happened to coincide with U.S. Vice President JD Vance's visit to India—was strategic and meant to send a message to both India and the United States.

In such a situation, he criticized the limited response of the U.S. administration, stating that more than just calls for de-escalation are needed and urged the administration to treat India with the same strategic importance and respect afforded to key allies like Israel.
 

The lawmaker also called on the  American Hindus to stand united in the face of such attacks and gain “political muscle” as a means to ensure their voices are represented. 

Michael Rubin, historian and senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), highlighted Pakistan’s role in promoting terrorism. “There is absolutely no question that Pakistan was involved in the deaths of dozens if not hundreds of Americans [in Afghanistan],” Rubin stated. 
 

(clockwise) Rep. Shri Thanedar, Sushant Sareen, Clifford Smith, and Michael Rubin. / HinduACTion

Drawing parallels from history, Rubin said the U.S.-led coalition effort against Iraq during the Gulf War was due to the personal rapport between British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and U.S. President George H. W. Bush and likened this to the friendship shared by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Donald Trump.

“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, Donald.’ There is absolutely no excuse for the United States not to stand up for its top allies in the world’s largest democracy,” he said.

Sushant Sareen, senior fellow at the Observer Research Foundation, called on the U.S. and the West not to succumb to “Pakistan’s nuclear blackmail,” stating that the country manipulates its nuclear capabilities to shield its sponsorship of terrorism. 

Clifford Smith, attorney and Government Affairs Director at the North American Values Institute (NAVI), criticized the treatment of minorities in Pakistan, which he said contrasted with India.

“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 the anti-Hindu speech of Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir, Smith said, “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.”
 

Community leaders--Utsav Chakrabarti, Suhag Shukla, Nikunj Trivedi, Jesse Singh and Krystle Kaul speaking at the event. / HinduACTion

Jesse Singh, chairman of Sikhs of America, attested to this by recalling the 1999 Chittisinghpura massacre, where 36 Sikhs were killed in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir.

“This same thing is happening to our Hindu brothers now,” Singh said highlights the centuries-long injustice faced by Sikhs and Hindus of Kashmir. “The gurus sacrificed their lives for this”, he added “and that’s not going to change.”

Hindu American leaders called out the media bias in covering the Pahalgam attack and anti-Hindu narratives. Suhag Shukla of the Hindu American Foundation criticized Western media outlets like the BBC and The Washington Post for spreading disinformation and lacking cultural sensitivity in their coverage of Hindu issues while Nikunj Trivedi of CoHNA accused groups such as CAIR, ICNA, IAMC, and HfHR of promoting anti-Hindu narratives and attempting to silence the Hindu American voice.

Surinder Kaul from the Global Kashmiri Pandit Diaspora (GKPD) and Uphaar Kotru from Kashmir Overseas Association (KOAUSA), along with by U.S. defense consultant Krystle Kaul, shared testimonies of the persecution faced by Kashmiri Hindus. Persecution faced by Kashmiri Hindus. They urged global unity in countering radical Islamism and securing justice for affected communities. 

Utsav Chakrabarti of HinduACTion highlighted concerns over U.S. aid to Pakistan, noting $1.5–$2 billion in assistance and $600 million in military sales between 2020 and 2024, despite Pakistan’s alleged support for extremist groups.

The event which began with a tribute to the victims of the Pahalgam attack concluded with the announcement of three policy recommendations from the participating organizations for the US administration.
1.    Pass a bipartisan concurrent resolution in both the House and Senate declaring Pakistan a state sponsor of terrorism.
2.    Immediately halt all multilateral agency loans and economic aid directed toward Pakistan.
3.    Enforce a complete ban on the sale of all military and dual-use technologies to Pakistan.