By Lalit K Jha, IANS,
New York : The Indian American community has launched a petition campaign all over the country urging the US to support a resolution in the UN Security Council that would permit strikes against terrorists camps inside Pakistan.
Thousands of people have signed this petition, which is being kept outside for signatures, at the scores of condolence meetings and candle light vigil in memory of the victims of Mumbai terrorist attacks, being held across the US in the past week.
“We urge the US to support a UN Security Council resolution to permit strikes against terror camps within Pakistan, in cases where they are unable or unwilling to act,” says the petition, which according to its organizers would be submitted to the US g overnment soon.
“There is a spontaneous response to this petition. Thousands of people have already signed it,” Kiran Desai, one of the community leaders and organizers said, at a condolence meeting held in New Jersey Sunday afternoon. New Jersey, alone has hosted at least 15 condolence meetings for victims of Mumbai terror attack.
Observing that the Indian American community is generally against a direct military confrontation with Pakistan at this point of time, the petition urges the United States to demand that Pakistan should close down all its terrorist camps.
“Pakistan’s failure to comply must result in declaration of Pakistan as a terrorist State by the US Government,” it said. It also urges the US Congress to cut all financial aid to Pakistan.
In the aftermath of the Mumbai attack, several other petition campaigns ha ve been launched by the community here. In fact, two of those petitions figured in top ten of www.petitiononline.com.
Another petition launched by the US India Political Action Committee has urged the US Congress that funding to Pakistan should be contingent on it extraditing Dawood Ibrahim, one of the region’s most deadly underworld criminals.
“We believe that in the interests of broader peace – America needs to demand that Pakistan close down all terror camps in its territory or risk losing US funding that has amounted to over $10 billion in US Tax payer dollars since 9/11,” the petition said.