Thus. I think it would be appropriate that we. in our activities this week and in the future. bear in mind the sacrifices being made by ordinary Americans every day in their lives and livelihoods to support the cause of freedom in Afghanistan. and elsewhere. I had the privilege of visiting a major Afghan refugee camp. at Chitral. in Pakistans northwest frontier province last August. The delegation from the Subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Affairs. which I have the honor to chair. met with several thousand refugees. and heard their spokesman talk about why they had fled their homeland. and what were their hopes for the future. At that time. with the Soviet invasion still in the future. the refugees said they fled their homeland because of religious persecution by the Communist puppet government. I think this is an important point. one which we have sometimes overlooked in our "East versus West" view of the controversy between the United States and the Soviet Union. The invasion of a small. defenseless Muslim nation by one of the worlds two major superpowers should tell the Third World. and not just the Muslim world. where are their true interests.
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