OIC expresses concern over ‘bloody events’ against J&K people

SRINAGAR — Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Thursday expressed concern about what it called ‘bloody events against the security of the people of the Jammu and Kashmir.’

OIC also expressed hope that India and Pakistan will resume a “genuine” dialogue for addressing all outstanding issues, “particularly the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.”

Dr Yousef bin Ahmad Al-Othaimeen, General Secretary of the OIC, also said that the bloc was following with deep concern the “bloody events against the security of the people of the Jammu and Kashmir.”

“I hope that a genuine dialogue between Pakistan and India will resume, which will be the best framework for addressing all outstanding issues, particularly the Jammu and Kashmir dispute,” said Dr Yousef bin Ahmad Al-Othaimeen while addressing Ministerial Meeting of OIC contact group on Jammu and Kashmir on the sidelines of 14th Islamic Summit at Makkah.

“The OIC General Secretariat has continued to highlight in all its engagements in the international forums that it is necessary to ensure that India ceases to use force against innocent and defenseless civilians in Kashmir and stop its disregard for human rights laws.”

He said that the struggle of the Kashmir people “is a legitimate struggle for the realization of their rights and independence and fully in conformity with the resolution of the United Nations and International Law.”

“Attempts to suppress or degrade it by linking it to terrorism are, therefore, futile and in violation of United Nations resolutions and International law,” he said.

The Jammu and Kashmir “crisis”, he said, “is close to our hearts and is one of the most important issues on the agenda of the organization of Islamic Cooperation, and therefore our commitment to the Jammu and Kashmir cause has been and will remain firm.”

“We are following with deep concern the bloody events against the security of the people of the Jammu and Kashmir, the developments in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, the conditions of the Rohingya, the Muslim peoples in Turkish Cyprus, Bosnia and Kosovo and the situation of Muslim societies in the rest of the world,” he said.

The OIC, he said, will continue to work towards a peaceful solution to the Kashmir conflict. “The OIC Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission will also continue to monitor serious violations of human rights in Kashmir and will continue to raise it with other international human rights bodies.”

India has maintained OIC has no ‘locus standi’ on Jammu and Kashmir being “country’s internal matter.”

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has time and again asked the OIC to refrain from making such references on J&K.

New Delhi had also rejected resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir passed in its 46th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of OIC which was attended by the country’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj last year.