OIC expresses support for Kashmiris’ right to self determination

Ghulam Muhammad Safi

JEDDAH: The special representative of the OIC secretary-general on Jammu and Kashmir, Ambassador Abdullah Al-Alim, reiterated OIC’s full support for the people of Kashmir’s legitimate struggle to achieve the fundamental right to self-determination at the seminar and photo exhibition on Kashmir jointly organized at the OIC Secretariat and the Pakistan Consulate in Jeddah. 
Al-Alim said that recently the situation in the Indian-administered Kashmir has turned critical. The OIC called on the Indian government to stop using force against the Kashmiri people. 
Pakistani Consul General Shehryar Akbar Khan said that the event was organized to “mark the illegal entry of Indian forces into Jammu and Kashmir in 1947. After the extra-judicial killing of Burhan Wani, on July 8, 2016, the situation worsened. More than 115 Kashmiris have lost their lives and 15,000 were injured. Around 850 people have sustained severe eye injuries.”
Ghulam Muhammad Safi, representative of the Kashmiri people, present at the event, talked about the prevailing situation and continued human rights violations in Indian Kashmir. He called on the international community to intervene and help the Kashmiri people exercise their inherent right to self-determination.
The chairman of the Kashmir Committee, Jeddah, Masood Ahmad Puri, called upon the international community to break “its deadly silence” on the tragedy in Kashmir. He presented a resolution to Ambassador Al-Alim, on behalf of the Kashmir Committee, Jeddah, calling the OIC to intensify efforts to resolve the Kashmir issue. Ambassador of Pakistan to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Manzoor ul Haq thanked the OIC and Saudi Arabia for supporting the cause of the people of Kashmir.
He highlighted their plight and the gross human rights violations by the occupying forces and said that Pakistan is willing to resolve its disputes with India, including the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir, through dialogue and in a peaceful manner.
The photo exhibition and seminar on India-occupied Kashmir at the OIC Secretariat has become an annual feature for the past four years.
The event was attended by high-level OIC officials, members of the diplomatic corps, local dignitaries and representatives of the Pakistani community.
Later in the evening the consul general held a dinner in honor of the participants at his residence. On the occasion, the speakers again reiterated their support for the cause of Kashmir.
Secretary General of OIC representative and OIC Political Affairs Director Ali Abul Husaini expressed OIC’s resolve to increase its efforts to resolve the long-standing issue of Kashmir. Dr. Ali Al-Ghamidi, a former Saudi diplomat, said that Kashmir is a matter of concern for the entire Muslim Ummah, which should join efforts to resolve the issue. He also proposed that OIC hold a conference on Kashmir.