He said the OIC Secretary General strongly condemned the human rights violations in Occupied Kashmir, and urged the global community to play its role to stop it.
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Iyad bin Amin stated that the situation in Kashmir was worsening with every passing day.
In remarks made at a joint press conference with Foreign Affairs Adviser Sartaj Aziz in the Pakistani capital Islamabad Saturday, Madani reiterated his organization’s support for the people of Jammu and Kashmir’s right to self-determination. The killing of a popular rebel commander on July 8 sparked some of Kashmir’s largest protests against Indian rule in recent years.
He said the area of Jammu and Kashmir under the control of Maharaja Hari Singh was 2.25 lakh square kilometers, but due to the “failed” political approach of first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru, India got only one lakh square kilometers of the area, rest was occupied by Pakistan like area of Gilgit and Baltistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir. He appreciated Pakistan’s willingness to addressing the lingering Kashmir dispute in accordance with the United Nations resolutions.
“We remain committed to working with the OIC for advancing all the legitimate causes of the Muslim Ummah, including the right of self-determination of the peoples of Palestine and Jammu and Kashmir”, he added. The Adviser welcomed the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon’s statement offering his good offices on Kashmir dispute.
Singh said that raising issue of Human Rights abuses in Balochistan was necessary for the “self defense” of the country, as the situation in the neighborhood directly affects us.
Mr. Madani was on a visit to Pakistan to apprise the Pakistani leadership of the upcoming Foreign Ministers meeting of the OIC at Tashkent in Uzbekistan. Sartaj accused the Indian forces of using lethal force against Kashmiris protesting peacefully over extrajudicial killings, saying 80 people had lost their lives while another 6,000 injured by the use of pellet guns by the Indian forces.
He said, “The worldwide community should raise its voice against the atrocities in India-held Kashmir”.
Sartaj said Pakistan as a founding member of the OIC, had always contributed towards strengthening the bonds of fraternity and solidarity among the Muslim countries. “Pakistan has hosted many historical sessions of the OIC in the past”.
He stressed that Pakistan and India should resolve the Kashmir issue through dialogue. The OIC’s Contact Group on Kashmir would meet in September during the General Assembly session in NY.
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Earlier, the OIC official also briefed Aziz on the organization’s peace efforts in Afghanistan. The OIC Secretary General said that consultations are underway to hold an Ulema Conference on Afghanistan. “We also agree that the platform of the OIC must be used to build a narrative against extremism and terrorism”, he added.
