OIC Secretary-General Iyad Madani

The Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) has expressed serious concern over the situation in Indian-administered Kashmir and called for an immediate end to army action against protesters.

The condemnation came during a meeting of the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

The meeting was chaired by OIC Secretary-General Iyad Madani and attended by the adviser to the Pakistan prime minister on foreign affairs, as well as foreign ministers of Turkey and Azerbaijan. Senior representatives from Niger, Saudi Arabia and Masood Khan, president of Pakistan side of Kashmir, also attended.

Madani urged the Indian government to opt for a peaceful settlement of the dispute, in accordance with the wishes of the Kashmiri people and the UN resolution.

“Although the Indian forces could physically blind the Kashmiri people by their pellet guns, they cannot block their vision for the realization of their right to self-determination,” he said.

The adviser to the Pakistani premier said, “The Indian ‘brutalities’ in Kashmir had shown its most horrendous face in the wake of the ‘cold-blooded’ murder of Kashmiri youth leader Burhan Muzaffar Wani.”

The adviser decried the use of pellet guns by the Indian security forces against the peaceful Kashmiri protesters, leading to the deaths of more than 100 civilians and injuries of 8,000. “More than 150 people have become permanently blind and the eyesight of another 350 has been seriously damaged.”

The foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Turkey also expressed grave concern at the deteriorating situation in Kashmir.

The Turkish minister emphasized the urgency of resolving the Kashmir dispute, especially in the wake of the recent events. He said resolving the dispute is important so as to bring regional peace and ensure development in South Asia.

The foreign minister of Azerbaijan said the OIC should think of innovative means to “highlight the human rights violations in Kashmir.” The idea of asking the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to send a fact finding mission to Jammu and Kashmir was strongly supported during the meeting.

[vuukle]

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