Pakistan has urged the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to steps up its efforts to facilitate a lasting solution to the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.
Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi told an emergency virtual meeting of the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir:
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“In view of the grave situation, the oppressed people of Indian-held Kashmir now more than ever count on OIC and the Muslim Ummah. The OIC must urge India to: rescind its unilateral and illegal actions since 5 August 2019; implement the relevant UNSC resolutions to hold a UN-supervised plebiscite in occupied valley; halt its blatant human rights violations and provide unhindered access to OIC, IPHRC, UN, human rights organizations and international media to investigate and report on the situation in the occupied territory.”
He urged the member states to raise the issue at various international forums, including the UN and Human Rights Council (HRC) through the OIC platform.
Minister for Foreign Affairs of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Turkey Mevlut Cavusoglu, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Niger KallaAnkourao, OIC Secretary General Dr Yousef Al-Othaimeen and AJK President Masood Khan also attended the session.
Addressing the forum, Foreign Minister Qureshi said the current Indian leadership remains bent upon perpetuating India’s illegal occupation of Jammu & Kashmir. “The Hindutva agenda of the RSS-BJP combine is deliberately targeting defenceless Kashmiris with unspeakable violence to break their will. Brute force is being used to crush the Kashmiris’ quest for their fundamental rights – especially the right to self-determination enshrined in the relevant UN Security Council and OIC resolutions,” he said.
Qureshi said while the world community is grappling with Covid-19 pandemic, India remains busy intensifying its brutalization of the Kashmiri people. The inhuman restrictions imposed on them have exacerbated the coronavirus challenges, with access to medical and other supplies severely hampered, he said. “The RSS-inspired BJP government has refused to respond to the appeals of the UN Secretary General and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to release political and other prisoners at risk in crowded jails. Indian occupation forces are operating with complete impunity under the cover of draconian laws such as PSA, AFSPA and UAPA,” he added.
