The OIC Ministerial meeting that concluded on Saturday in Abu Dhabi reaffirmed its unwavering support for the Kashmiri people in their just cause, said a press release issued by Foreign Ministry. In a resolution adopted by the 46th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM), the OIC member states reiterated that Jammu and Kashmir remains the core dispute between Pakistan and India and its resolution is indispensable for the dream for peace in South Asia. The OIC resolution also condemned in the strongest terms recent wave of Indian terrorism in Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and expressed deep concern over the atrocities and human rights violations in Indian Held Kashmir. The resolution also reminded the international community Continued on page 7
Continued from front page of its obligation to ensure implementation of UN Security Council resolutions on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had refused to attend OIC because Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj was invited as guest of honor in the opening session; however Pakistani diplomats attended the other sessions and participated in passing of the resolutions. Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Friday “India wanted to use the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) platform to further its own agenda, which it will do by way of first becoming an observer and then gradually forcing its way in to exert more influence on member nations”. Pakistan had successfully blocked its way in the OIC for an observer status. It is true that the invitation was extended to Indian FM when the situation was not critical, but the members countries especially UAE and Saudi Arabia knew India’s accusation that Pakistan was behind Pulwama attack.
Apart from that Kashmiris are being subjected to repression, murder and rapes, and the world knows about it. But because of India’s 1.25 bn population and a large market, the US and the western countries turn a blind eye to human rights violations in IHK. But OIC was established to support every member country in the case of aggression. Of course, OIC has in the past many a time passed such resolutions, but that is not enough, and they should pressurize India to stop its aggression on the people of Kashmir. Saudi foreign minister was due to visit Pakistan and India with a message from the crown prince to reduce the tension between the two countries, but the visit was first postponed for one day and now for a week.
In view of the current world political scenario whereby Muslim countries are looked upon as places that engender terrorism, it is imperative for the Muslim countries to organize themselves and improve their image. The countries with enormous oil resources should help the less fortunate ones to enable them to alleviate poverty and make them self-reliant. Unfortunately, most Muslim countries are deviating from the ideological track and are following shadows of opportunism or adventurism. One does not see a semblance of Islamic brotherhood so far as the foreign policy pursued by them is concerned. In the past, majority of the Muslim countries had supported Pakistan’s just stance on Kashmir that the UN resolutions giving the right of self-determination to Kashmiris be implemented. But for quite some time they mostly advised Pakistan to resolve the issue through bilateral negotiations with India, knowing the latter did not do it during the last 70 years.
