India has successfully defeated insurgencies in Punjab and the Northeast and it is now time to strengthen New Delhi's fight against insurgencies in Kashmir, columnist Sunanda Vashisht told a US Congressional hearing on Human Rights in Washington on Thursday. Terrorists trained by Pakistan had caused "ISIS level of horror and brutality" in the Kashmir Valley long before the West was even introduced to the brutalities of radical Islamic terror, Ms Vashisht said, adding that international cooperation in India's fight against terror would also solve the human rights problem in the state.

"India's democratic credentials are unmatched. The country has successfully, in a democratic setup, defeated insurgencies in Punjab and the northeast. It is time to strengthen India against such insurgencies and the human rights problems will be solved forever," Ms Vashisht told the hearing organised by Tom Lantos HR Commission. This is the second hearing by US Congress in the last three weeks on Kashmir, which has been under massive security restrictions since August 5, when the government announced the end of special status to the state and split it into two union territories.

India has "not occupied" Kashmir and Kashmir was always an integral part of India, she said. "India is not just a70-year-old identity, but a 5000-year-old civilisation. There is no India without Kashmir, and no Kashmir without India."

Talking about what she described as "ISIS level ofhorror and brutality" she had seen in Kashmir, the columnist said: "I am glad these hearings are happening here today because when my family and everyone like me lost our homes our livelihood and our way of life the world remained silent." The hearing mostly comprised of Democrats, who have been more vocal in their criticism after India revoked the special status to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 and split it into two union territories.

Ms Vashisht also questioned what she called the silence of world leaders when some 400,000 Kashmiri Hindus were driven out of the Valleyin the 1990s, when Pakistan-backed terrorists started targeting the community.

"Where were the advocates of human rights when myrights were taken away? Where was the saviour of humanity when my feeble oldgrandfather stood with kitchen knives and an old rusted axe ready to kill mymother and I in order to save us from the much worse fate that awaited us? Alldeaths have been happening due to terrorists trained by Pakistan. Thisdoublespeak is not helping India in any way," the columnist stressed beforethe gathering.

She called the international community to assist India inits fight against radical Islamic terror.

"Plebiscite in Kashmir is never going to happen,"she said. Plebiscite requires the entire community to unite for a decision, butin this case, a part of Kashmir is in India, another in Pakistan, a part of itis also with China, Ms Vashisht added.

Sheila Jackson Lee, a Congresswoman from Texas, in responseto Ms Vashisht, asked for a pathway to ensure human rights in the region. Shealso asked the Indian government to allow members of the US Congress to visitthe region.

Yousra Y Fazili, a human rights lawyer, said there was a"climate of fear in Kashmir" and alleged that her relative was amongthose taken into custody in raids. "Armed forces conduct night raids onhomes and are pulling young men and boys into custory. My cousin was taken intocustody in a night raid such as that. He's not a politician, not a freedomfighter, not a stone-pelter. He's just a businessman."

Senior journalist Aarti Tikoo Singh, who also spoke at thefirst US Congress hearing in October, praised Ms Vashisht's speech at TomLantos HR Commission hearing.

Some US lawmakers have expressed concern about the situationin Jammu and Kashmir amid security restrictions. For over 100 days, there havebeen restrictions on internet and mobile phones in Jammu and Kashmir, andseveral mainstream politicians remain in detention.

The lawmakers have called for the release of detainedpoliticians and activists and an end to restrictions on communication andmovement of people.

Terming the criticism as "regrettable", India hadsaid the comments reflected a very limited understanding of the country'shistory and its pluralistic society.