Pakistan, OIC reiterate support for Kashmir cause

Current Indian leadership bent on crushing fundamental rights of Kashmiri people: Interim FM Jilani

Current Indian leadership is bent upon perpetuating India's occupation of Jammu and Kashmir, crushing "fundamental rights" of the Kashmiri people, said Interim Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani on Wednesday.

Addressing a press conference alongside Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Secretary General and Special Envoy on Jammu and Kashmir Yousef Aldobeay in Islamabad, the caretaker minister stressed on Indian excesses in Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, which have significantly increased under Modi government.

"The curbs on the fundamental rights and freedoms of the Kashmiri people remain persistent," said Jilani. "The total number of detained political activists and human rights defenders comes to around 4,000," he said, adding that members of the Hurriyat leadership have been "incarcerated arbitrarily".

The dignitaries drew attention to the death penalty sought by the Indian authorities on Kashmiri leader Yasin Malik, who was awarded life imprisonment last year, and Shabbir Ahmed Shah as well as the increase in atrocities by the state since 2019.

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"India's unilateral and illegal actions of August 5, 2019, have opened a new chapter of oppression. The ultimate aim of these steps is to convert the Kashmiri people into a disempowered minority in their own land," said Jilani, adding that the OIC has affirmed its resolute support to the Kashmiri people for their just struggle.

Pakistan expresses its profound gratitude to the OIC for its consistent and unequivocal support for the cause of the Kashmiri people, said Jilani, stressing on the need to implement international resolutions passed on the issue to secure a lasting resolution.

Meanwhile, the visiting dignatory stressed on the OIC's commitment towards securing the rights of the Kashmiri people.

He condemned the "illegal steps" taken by the Indian government in August 2019 on behalf of all members of the OIC and said that they should be revised.

"We are with you...support every activity which is your right," said Aldobeay, directing his remarks towards the Kashmiri people while thanking Pakistan for its continued efforts towards securing the rights of the occupied people.

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Prior to the press conference, the two leaders held a meeting in Islamabad. A comprehensive report was presented by the OIC on the Kashmir issue, said Aldobeay.

In September, at a meeting of the OIC held on the sidelines of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Saudi Arabia Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah said that the Kashmir issue constitutes one of the pressing challenges facing the security and stability of the region, warning that leaving the issue unresolved will contribute to regional instability.

The OIC Contact Group said in a statement that during the ministerial-level meeting on Wednesday, the international community was urged to “intensify its efforts to settle the issue of Jammu and Kashmir” based on relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

It demanded release of all Kashmiri political prisoners by rescinding the trumped-up and fallacious charges against the Kashmiri leadership and the repeal of all draconian laws.