THE Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Wednesday called upon India to reverse all “illegal and unilateral measures” taken on or after August 5, 2019, and to stop the gross, systematic and widespread human rights abuses in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). The call made by OIC Chief Hissein Brahim Taha was read out by Assistant Secretary-General for Palestine and Al-Quds Affairs Samir Bakr at an event and photo exhibition hosted by the Muslim Bloc’s Secretariat General in Jeddah.
The event was held to highlight the gross human rights violations in Occupied Kashmir and to strengthen OIC solidarity with the people of Jammu and Kashmir. The clear statement of the 57-member bloc of Muslim nations is significant as it strongly supports the viewpoint of Kashmiris for reversal of illegal and unilateral measures that India imposed in 2019 and takes serious notice of gross human rights violations of Kashmiri people at the hands of the occupation forces. The statement of the OIC Secretary-General is in line with the earlier call made by the 49th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers held in March this year in Mauritania, which expressed serious concern over widespread human rights abuses in Occupied Kashmir and urged India to undo its illegal actions. It is important to note that Kashmir issue remains at the centre of discussions of almost all OIC moots since long. The Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir, which was established in 1994 to voice the Organization’s position and coordinate joint actions on the dispute, is another OIC platform which closely monitors and articulates concerns over the evolving, worrisome developments in IIOJ&K. Similarly, significant protests held in different cities of Europe, including in London, Barcelona, Brescia, Glasgow, Manchester and others to mark the anniversary of India unilaterally ending the special status of the disputed territory, sent a clear message that the world community is cognizant of the Indian ploy and favours solution of the conflict in accordance with the UN resolutions and aspirations of the Kashmiri people.
