A day after former Afghan President Hamid Karzai “appreciated” Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement on the human rights situation in Balochistan, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) voiced concern over alleged excesses of the Indian military and the paramilitary forces in Kashmir.
A report in the Pakistan-run news agency Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) quoted the Secretary General of OIC Iyad Amin Madani as saying that his organisation will continue to expose human rights excesses in the Valley till the resolution of the issue in accordance with the United Nations resolutions and wishes of the people of Kashmir.
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. The OIC (formerly Organisation of the Islamic Conference) defines itself as the second largest inter-governmental organisation with a membership of 57 states spread over four continents.
Mr. Madani’s comments are bound to rile New Delhi though this is not for the first that the OIC has spoken about the issue.
At a joint press stake-out along with Advisor to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, Mr. Madani also reportedly renewed support to the right of self-determination for Kashmiri people and said it was an international and legitimate issue.
“The international community has the role to play in this regard,” he said, adding the world must realise that human rights violations should be addressed promptly, the APP quoted him as saying. It said Mr. Madani expressed the hope that a comprehensive dialogue between India and Pakistan would take place to address the core issues.
APP also quoted Mr. Aziz as saying that the OIC Contact Group on Kashmir would be meeting again in September 2016, during the UN General Assembly session.
Mr. Aziz is also reported to have said that they should wait for a response from India after a letter was handed over to the Indian High Commissioner, extending an invitation to the Indian Foreign Secretary to visit Islamabad by the end of this month to discuss the Kashmir dispute.
To another question he said, the UN general secretary Ban Ki-moon had offered to facilitate the dialogue if requested by both sides.
