New York: Sardar Masood Khan, President Azad Jammu and Kashmir, urged the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to take effective measures in halting the grave human rights violations taking place in Indian Occupied Kashmir at the hands of Indian occupation forces. He urged that the OIC’s Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission be allowed to visit IOK and asses the deteriorating human rights situation.
The President made these remarks while addressing the Annual Coordination Meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session. The meeting was attended by the Foreign Ministers of OIC member countries.
President Masood Khan urged the OIC to the impress upon the United Nations Secretary General to take note of the humanitarian crisis in Kashmir and nominate a Special Representative for resolving the Kashmir issue according to the political wishes of the Kashmiri people in light of the United Nations Security Council resolutions.
President Sardar Masood Khan commended the report published by OIC’s Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission, which highlighted the gross human rights violations taking place in IOK and condemned Indian government’s move towards demographic transformation in the occupied territory. He added that such moves are in direct contravention to international law and conventions. He condemned the Indian government’s intransigence in refusing access to international fact-finding missions to IOK.
President AJK, while referring to his 9 point agenda – delivered earlier at the Meeting of the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir – said that the Indian government must allow a Commission of Inquiry proposed by the UN Human Rights Council to visit IOK and establish the human rights situation. He said that India must immediately release the Kashmiris leaders and other political workers, who have been illegally incarcerated in various jails all over India.
He said that India has been interfering with the working of the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), by not allowing them to visit affected areas along the Line of Control. He emphasised the need for sharing the UNMOGIP Reports with the UN Secretary General and the members of the Security Council.
President Masood Khan appealed to the Foreign Ministers of the OIC to urge India to come to the negotiation table and talk to Pakistan and the Kashmiri people in order to resolve the Kashmir in a peaceful manner by allowing the Kashmiris exercise to self-determination.
President Masood Khan thanked the OIC members countries in raising the profile of the Kashmir issue by making it a part of the global agenda and providing their unwavering support to the realisation of the of the right to self-determination of Kashmiris
