OIC meeting condemns HR violations in IHK

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OIC meeting condemns HR violations in IHK

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The OIC contact group on Kashmir called for an end to human rights violation in Indian-held Kashmir.

27 September,2012 02:23 pm

The contact group on Kashmir of the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) met Wednesday on the sidelines of the 67th UN General Assembly session in New York. The foreign ministers of Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Niger are part of the contact group taht was formed in 1994.Talking to reporters after the session, OIC Secretary General, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, said that their meeting had sent a right message for supporting the cause of Kashmiri people. International legal position and Securitry Council resolutions from day one are for supporting the rightful cause of Kashmiris and we, in the OIC, are supporting them as well, he emphasized.The Secretary General hoped that Indian-occupied Kashmir will become another Azad Kashmir. We are reiterating our strong position in supporting Kashmiri people, and in supporting the relevant Security Council decision in 1948 which calls for their right of self-determination, he observed.The Chairman of All Parties Hurriyat Conference, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was happy to note that the OIC was on-board at the human rights violations in the valley. He regretted that OICs observer mission was not allowed in India to witness issues like mass graves themselves.He believed that Kashmiri people should be part of the India-Pakistan dialogue to make it successful. Trust deficit between India and pakistan needs to be bridged but Kashmir shouldnt be put on back burner whilke working through other critical isses. They are resolving visas and other bilateral issues, but Kashmirs solution within a given timeframe should also be a priority, he pleaded.Mirwaiz was of the opinion that India and Pakistan needed to undertake more confidence-building measures vis-a-vis Kashmir. The CBMs should be increased, because these stalled after bus service between Pakistani and Indian side of Kashmir, he mentioned while calling for repeal of black laws in Indian-held Kashmir and demilitarization, so that a dialogue process could be initiated.The President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Sardar Muhammad Yaqoob Khan said taht Kashmiri people realized the challenges and were confidence that they would achieve independence one day. Pakistani people are with Kashmir. We only want UN resolutions to be acted upon, he said while also condemning conviction of Dr. Ghulam Nabi fai, Chairman of Kashmir-American Council, as unjust.Foreign Minsiter, Hina Rabbani Khar reiterated that Kashmir was a core issue for Pakistan and there was a need to keep it alive. The issue of mass graves and human rights violations in Indian-held Kashmir is very serious and the international world cant turn away from this, she argued.Ms. Khar pointed out that these issues had also been raised during her recent interactions with Indian Foreign Minister. These issues need to be investigated:, she said adding that this would also be forcefully mentioned in the foreign ministers meeting of the OIC member countries, scheduled to be held on Sep 28 (Friday). - Contributed by Awais Saleem, Dunya News correspondent in New York