OIC, UN urged to depute fact-finding commission in IIOJK

Shehryar Afridi says body should probe cases of violence based on religion, belief

ISLAMABAD:

Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir Chairman Shehryar Afridi urged the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and United Nations (UN) to depute a fact-finding commission to investigate the cases of violence in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) based on religion and belief.

“The UN and OIC need to form probe commissions on the basis of the successive reports of the office of the United Nations Human Rights Commission in 2018 and 2019 on Indian atrocities against Kashmiri Muslims,” said Afridi on Saturday, while addressing a gathering held with regard to the International Day to observe the Victims of Violence based on religion.

Briefing on the prevailing situation in the occupied valley, Afridi said mosques are shut down for weeks, Muslims are often not allowed to offer congregational prayers on Eid and religious seminars are banned.

“Indian regime primarily targets Jamia Masjid in Srinagar as the Friday congregation prayers are allowed in the mosque only twice since August 5, 2019 when the Indian government revoked the special status of IIOJK,” said Afridi, adding the mosque was shut for 18 consecutive Fridays.

Afridi was dismayed over the silence of the world on the ongoing victimisation of Muslims in Kashmir, particularly the silence of Muslim world towards the increasing acts of religious violence in IIOJK.

“Muslims across the globe should raise the voice for their brethren in IIOJK who are suffering at the hands of the Indian fascist regime,” he said, adding the Hindutva rulers of India led by Narendra Modi have continuously inflicted violence on the Muslim population in IIOJK, locked mosques, banned religious organisations and gatherings under a double lockdown.

He added the Modi regime had extended religious violence against Muslims by granting IIOJK domiciles to Indian Hindus and land for business in the occupied territory.

The chairman urged leadership of the OIC to take necessary steps to address the issue. “Global Muslim leaders should move beyond customary statements and address the issue,” he said.

Recounting the suppression on Kashmiri Muslims before the partition, Afridi added that Dogra Hindus had inflicted insurmountable violence on Kashmiris prior to 1947, banned Islamic rituals, attacked mosques and converted them into barns. “The leaders hanged those violating the diktats of Maharaja.”

He added Hindu terrorists led by RSS massacred more than 300,000 Muslims in IIOJK after the partition. “Mosques have been burnt while some were converted into temples.”

The chairman maintained that after the partition, over one million people were forced to migrate to Pakistan due to their beliefs. Since then the Muslims of IIOJK have been facing violence.

With input from APP