From Nijjar killing to NRC: How US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar interferes in India

Ilhan Omar is a controversial figure in the United States. The Congresswoman has a dubious record and often wades into trouble. She also has another habit – meddling in India’s affairs. She has gained notoriety for her anti-India antics and has angered New Delhi on more occasions than one. Now she has something to say about the India-Canada diplomatic row. No surprises for guessing what side she has picked (even when it’s none of her business). We take a look at her latest remarks and how she has emerged as an anti-India voice in the US, often leaving her government red-faced. The Nijjar killing The Muslim-American Democrat has condemned the killing of Khalistan terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar , days after Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau said that the Indian government agents were involved. New Delhi labelled the allegations absurd as ties with Ottawa hit a new low. Amid this, Omar has decided to step in. In a tweet on the X platform (formerly Twitter), the lawmaker appealed to the US federal government to support Canada’s probe into Nijjar’s death. “The allegations that Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Niijar was assassinated by the Indian government are deeply concerning. The US must fully support the Canadian investigation,” Omar said. “We are also requesting a briefing on whether there are similar operations in the United States,” she added.

The allegations that Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Niijar was assassinated by the Indian government are deeply concerning. The US must fully support the Canadian investigation.

We are also requesting a briefing on whether there are similar operations in the United States.

— Rep. Ilhan Omar (@Ilhan) September 26, 2023

Omar’s remarks come ahead of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington on Thursday. Her support for Nijjar has angered India and Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi has asked the external affairs ministry to immediately initiate an inquiry against the Congresswoman. In a sharp response, Chaturvedi wrote, “Sit down Madam Representative. Such being the case, as an Indian Parliamentarian, I urge MEA India to start an enquiry into how an elected representative in the USA is interfering in the peace of Jammu & Kashmir via Pakistan-funded PoK visit.”

Sit down Madam Representative.
Such be the case, as an Indian Parliamentarian I urge @MEAIndia to start an enquiry into how an elected representative in USA is interfering in the peace of Jammu&Kashmir via Pakistan funded PoK visit. https://t.co/cYV08xt0sD

— Priyanka Chaturvedi🇮🇳 (@priyankac19) September 27, 2023

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She was referring to Omar’s visit to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in 2022. The visit to Pok In April last year, Omar visited Pakistan-occupied Kashmir , a visit which was strongly condemned by India. She met Pakistan prime minister Shehnaz Sharif, former PM Imran Khan and the two reportedly discussed Islamaphobia. The move was seen as a tacit endorsement of Pakistan and its state support for terrorism in the region. India also saw the trip as a violation of its territorial integrity for “narrow political gains”. “We have noted that US Representative Ilhan Omar has visited a part of the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir that is currently illegally occupied by Pakistan. If such a politician wishes to practice her narrow-minded politics at home, that may be her business. But violating our territorial integrity and sovereignty in its pursuit makes it ours. This visit is condemnable,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said last year. Washington too distanced itself from Omar, who said during her visit that “Kashmir should get more attention” from the US. Derek Chollet, the counsellor to Blinken, had told news agency ANI that it was an “unofficial personal visit” and it did not “represent any policy change on behalf of the United States government”.

Anti-Modi remarks In April 2022, the Democrat demanded that the US review its security alliance with India in the Indo-Pacific region. “How are we promoting a free and open (Indo-Pacific) region by supporting Modi?” Omar asked in the House. “How much does the Modi government have to criminalise the act of being Muslim in India for us to say something?” She averred that the US government must do something about “the genocide (of Muslims) that’s taking place” in India, according to a report in moneycontrol. Back home, she has been under fire for being intolerant towards Jews and has been accused of anti-Semitism . A resolution to condemn rights violations in India On 22 June 2022, Omar introduced a resolution to condemn human rights violations in India, specifically those targeting Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Dalits, Adivasis, and “other religious and cultural minorities”, as per a press release by her office. The resolution called on the US Secretary of State to designate India as a “Country of Particular Concern” under the International Religious Freedom Act, a move that can lead to economic sanctions in extreme cases. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), a consultative government body, has been recommending this designation for the past three years, she said. [caption id=“attachment_13181562” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] In April last year, Ilhan Omar’s visit to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir angered India, Image courtesy: @IlhanMN/Twitter[/caption] Slamming Article 370 In 2019, the US lawmaker was overtly critical of the Modi government’s decision to abrogate Article 370 , which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir. Following the lockdown and communications blackout imposed in Kashmir, she demanded the “immediate restoration of communication”. She also said that the US partnership with India based on values had been threatened due to the Modi government’s “Hindu nationalism project”. Going after an Indian journalist At a US Congressional hearing on human rights in South Asia in the same year, the Democrat went after Indian journalist Aarti Tikoo Singh, accusing her of being partisan. Speaking at the US House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on “Human Rights in South Asia” in Washington, Singh said that Kashmiri Muslims suffered from terror attacks by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists and this was overlooked by Western activists and the world media for years. She dubbed the hearing “prejudiced”, “biased” and a set-up against India in favour of Pakistan”, reports NDTV. “The 30 years of Islamic jihad and terror in Kashmir perpetrated by Pakistan has been completely ignored and overlooked by the world press,” she said. [caption id=“attachment_13181592” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Senior journalist Aarti Tikoo and Omar had a sharing exchange at a Congressional hearing in October 2019. ANI[/caption] The journalist had a war of words with Omar, who said she was making “incredibly dubious” claims. “Ms Singh, a reporter’s job is to find the objective truth about what is happening and report it to the public… The press is at its worst when it is a mouthpiece for a government… You also make the incredible dubious claim that the Indian government’s crackdown in Kashmir is good for human rights. If it was good for human rights, Ms Singh, it wouldn’t be happening in secret.” Speaking up against NRC Omar voiced her opposition against the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam in October 2019. She asked whether the US government was taking up the NRC issue in a stronger way. “Are we waiting for Muslims in Assam to be put in detention?” She told the US congressional hearing then. “In Assam, almost two million people are being asked to formally prove their citizenship… There’ve been official statements to the effect that no Buddhist, Christian, Sikh or Jain refugees need to worry about their status, so this is clearly an anti-Muslim programme.” With inputs from agencies