Kashmiri leader wants OIC to make more efforts

Overseas Kashmiris, including those in the Kingdom, are concerned about the future of Kashmir, following Hindu right-wing leader Narendra Modi becoming the prime minister of India, says former Azad Kashmir Prime Minister Sultan Mahmoud Choudary.
“The new Indian premier is trying to dilute the issue by ignoring all international norms,” he told a press conference on Friday.
Choudary lamented that the Modi government is attempting to sideline the Kashmir issue by putting restrictions on the United Nations Military Observer Group on India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), and ignoring the international community.
He accused the Indian government of never allowing UN observers to move out of Srinagar when there is full freedom for them to go anywhere in Kashmir, including around the line of control (LoC) on the Pakistan side of Kashmir.
It was possible that after withdrawal of the NATO and US troops from Afghanistan, desperate and frustrated youth would look toward Kashmir in South Asia, Choudary added.
Choudary said the Kashmir issue could not be a bilateral dialogue between Indian and Pakistan, but the people of Kashmir ought to be a party to it as well. “Kashmir will become a core contentious issue in South Asia in the context of the latest developments starting from Boko Haram in Nigeria to war in Iraq.
The resistance movement died down after the 9/11 incident, he said, adding that India labelled the movement as terrorism.
“It was an opportunity for India to resolve the issue through dialogue and negotiations. But the ongoing human rights violations could push the frustrated Kashmiri youth to pick up arms once again,” he said.
Choudary said that Jeddah-based Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) is required to act more seriously on the Kashmir issue and pressurize India to honor its commitments made to the international community.