Srinagar: The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has while expressing concern over cancellation of NSA-level talks between India and Pakistan and rising tensions along their borders in Jammu and Kashmir urged the two South Asian neighbours to resume the two-way dialogue without delay. It also asked them to hold “a meaningful dialogue for the peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions and aspirations of the people of Kashmir”
OIC’s Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir met in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly’s 70th session. The meeting was chaired by OIC Secretary General Iyad Ameen Madani and attended by the foreign ministers of Turkey and Azerbaijan and Directors General from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia and Niger.
A statement issued at the end of the meet said that it decided to make it a practice to mention the relevant UN resolutions on Kashmir in all its reports and documents. “It was a legal issue and should be raised by the OIC at all international fora as a violation of international law, to ensure full and early implementation of UN Security Council resolutions on Kashmir,” it said
The meet also observed that Jammu and Kashmir ‘dispute’ was not only an obstacle in the relations between India and Pakistan but also a humanitarian and human rights issue. “The OIC cannot remain silent over the continued killings of the Kashmiri people,” it said.
It also said that Jammu and Kashmir was a long-standing conflict on the agenda of the UN Security Council and the OIC. “It can be resolved only by realizing the right to self -determination of the Kashmiri people in accordance with international law. Any settlement of the conflict must take into account the aspirations of Kashmiri people”.
The meet regretted that the “longstanding dispute” of Jammu and Kashmir could not be resolved even as the UN was celebrating its 70th anniversary and asked the OIC member states to take lead and play proactive role in resolving outstanding disputes of the Muslim world.
In his inaugural remarks, the OIC Secretary General noted that the group of 57-member countries has always demonstrated complete solidarity with the Kashmiri people “in their struggle for realization of their right to self-determination”. He stressed, that the Contact Group was not just about reiteration of the known OIC position on Jammu and Kashmir, but more importantly a forum for reviewing the latest developments and making recommendations, for taking practical measures by the OIC.
He expressed concern over the escalating tensions and called upon India to show flexibility and start negotiations with Pakistan for peaceful settlement of the dispute, in accordance with wishes of Kashmiri people and the UN SC resolutions. He also said that the Contact Group on Kashmir will submit a report on the deliberation of Tuesday’s meet to the foreign minister of the OIC who are meeting in New York separately.
Sartaj Aziz, adviser on national security and foreign affairs to the Pakistan Prime Minister, who led his country’s delegation at the meet said that his country is ready to hold talks with India, "at any level, without any preconditions", in order “to address each other’s concerns and establish lasting peace by resolving all outstanding issues, especially the Jammu and Kashmir dispute”.
Aziz said, “We firmly believe that for a durable solution of the Kashmir dispute, Kashmiris should be associated with the dialogue process. Pakistan supports engagement with India in a constructive and purposeful dialogue to resolve this issue”. He claimed, “However, our efforts to peacefully resolve the Jammu and Kashmir dispute are not being reciprocated”.
He blamed India for the cancellation of NSA-level talks in August saying it set pre-conditions to exclude Jammu and Kashmir from the agenda and prohibiting Pakistan’s interaction with the Kashmir's Hurriyat leaders during his planned visit to New Delhi. He also alleged that all the four separatist leaders invited by the OIC to its New York meet were prevented by the Indian authorities from travelling abroad after suspending their passports for a four month period. “We hope that the international community will carefully ponder over India’s persistent refusal to hold meaningful talks on the Kashmir issue,” he said.
He also raised the issue of placing the separatist leaders under house arrest in Jammu and Kashmir saying “The Kashmiri leaders continue to remain in detention or have been put under house arrest”. He alleged that the people of Jammu and Kashmir including women are being arrested for hoisting the Pakistan flag. “Framing treason charges for hoisting the Pakistani flag is legally untenable, since the Kashmiri people have never accepted the Indian occupation,” he said.
Aziz accused India of indulging in “unprovoked and indiscriminate ceasefire violations” across the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border (called Working Boundary by Pakistan) which, he said, resulted in loss of many civilian lives, including women and children. “Last month alone, Indian shelling resulted in martyrdom of 20 civilians including women and children on our side of the LoC and the Working Boundary,” he said adding that Islamabad has repeatedly called for impartial investigation into the ceasefire violations. He requested the OIC Contact Group “to impress upon India to refrain from Ceasefire Violations, which are becoming a threat to peace in the region”.
He thanked the members of the Contact Group for their “persistent solidarity with the oppressed people of Jammu and Kashmir and the steadfast support to their right to self-determination”. He reiterated that Pakistan wanted a just and peaceful solution of the issue based on the UN Security Council Resolutions which remained unimplemented to this day. He alleged that instead of upholding the UN resolutions and fulfilling its own pledges to the people of Kashmir, India was “trying to quell Kashmiri struggle by use of brute force”.
Aziz also alleged that over the last two decades alone, Indian forces have “killed more than 90,000 innocent Kashmiris and committed the worst human rights violations under the draconian security laws that have evoked sharp criticism from international community and the international human rights organizations”. He also claimed that the Kashmiris had “rejected the sham elections conducted under heavy military presence, which were also not tenable under UNSC resolutions” and said “The Kashmiri leaders continued to remain in detention while innocent citizens, including women and youth, are arrested for hoisting Pakistani flag”
He accused India of trying to change the demographic make-up of Jammu and Kashmir by settling non-State, non-Muslim subjects in the State. “The ban by the Indian authorities on slaughtering of cow at Eid ul Azha and suspension of the passports of the prominent Kashmiri leaders to prevent their participation in the Contact Group meeting, was a violation of fundamental rights,” he said. He called upon the OIC member states to “carefully ponder over India’s persistent refusal to hold dialogue with Pakistan and its implications for peace in the region”.
‘President’ of Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir Sardar Muhammad Yaqoob Khan and a delegation “true representatives of Kashmiri people” headed by Ishtiyaq Hameed, also spoke on the occasion and alleged that India was committing serious human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir. They also spoke about “serious humanitarian situation arising from the continued Indian occupation, oppression, detentions, extrajudicial killings and the recent spike in ceasefire violations along the LoC”. They also presented a memorandum to the OIC Secretary General containing proposals for peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue.
