Islamabad
Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs Andleeb Abbas Monday informed the National Assembly that the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has fully endorsed Pakistan’s stance on Kashmir issue. Responding to a query during Question hour, she said the Kashmir issue was effectively highlighted at OIC forum and all members extended support to Pakistan’s stance in the wake of illegal and unilateral Indian action of August 5.
She said that immediately after illegal and unilateral Indian action, the OIC convened an emergency session of its Contract Group on Jammu Kashmir about Pakistan’s request on August 6, 2019 as a result of which the OIC’s Independent Permanent Human Right Commission delivered a strong statement condemning India’s atrocities in IOJ&K.
The OIC had always been one of the foremost and premier multilateral forums and it had effectively highlighted the plight of brave Kashmiri people, she added.
Andleeb Abbas said in humanitarian domain, Pakistan had been drawing attention to the massive human rights violations being perpetrated by Indian forces in Occupied Kashmir.
She said that Pakistan had been employing a comprehensive three-pronged strategy to highlight the Jammu and Kashmir dispute under humanitarian, legal and security dimensions.
In humanitarian domain, she said, Pakistan had been drawing attention to gross human rights violations by Indian occupation forces in Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IOJ&K) over the past seven decades.
“We have underscored that the gravity of the situation demands immediate measures for complete lifting of all restrictions, including communications blockade, removal of media blackout, ending incarcerations of Kashmiri leadership, release of innocent Kashmiris, removal of the restrictions on movement, peaceful assembly and provision of food and medical supplies, and release of political prisoners”, she added. She said Pakistan had also strongly raised the issue of Hindututva-related extremism in India under the RSS-inspired BJP regime.
She said in the legal domain, Pakistan has been drawing attention to its strong case based on the United Nations Security Council Resolutions that recognized the legitimate right to self-determination of the Kashmiri people. Responding to another question she said, there were 308 Pakistani prisoners in various jails across Afghanistan. Since 2018, she said 52 Pakistanis had been released from Afghan jails and repatriated to Pakistan.—APP
