Sirajul Haq presents Memorandum on Kashmir on behalf of people of Pakistan to 48th meeting of OIC CFMs being held in Islamabad
ISLAMABAD, Mar 21 (SABAH): Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Sirajul Haq hassaid that Kashmiris are being economically devastated, by damaging their property, assets and orchards. They are being deprived of their livelihood and their businesses are being damaged by keeping them in perpetual siege and state of curfew.
While presenting Memorandum on Kashmir on behalf of the people of Pakistan to 48th meeting of OIC Council of Foreign Minister (CFMs) being started from tomorrow (Tuesday) in Islamabad, Sirajul Haq said that young men are killed by armed forces in extra-judicial actions and their bodies are thrown in wilderness, instead of delivering them to their families. During the last couple of years, Muhammad Ashraf Sahrai, an elderly leading figure of freedom movement APHC was martyred in jail where he was kept without medical care. His body was brought to his village in the dark of the night under heavily armed contingent. His family was not allowed to attend the burial. Similarly, Sayyad Ali Geelani, considered a fatherly figure by all Kashmiris, remained in detention at his home for the last twelve years. Geelani was denied medical care and he finally passed away in detention last year. His family was manhandled upon his death and his dead body was snatched from them forcibly to be buried by security forces without the consent of his family.
Sirajul Haq said that another Hurriyat leader, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, is kept under house-arrest for the last two and a half years, and nobody is allowed to offer prayers in the historic Srinagar mosque where he and his ancestors used to lead the prayers. Yasin Malik, Shabir Ahmad Shah, Asya Indrabi, Dr. Qasim Fakhto and other prominent leaders of the freedom movement are kept in death cells in Tiharrr Jail. They are neither given medical care nor are they given the right to choose their attorneys. All these leaders are deprived of their fundamental rights.
Sirajul Haq said that in order to change the Muslim identity of the State of Jammu and Kashmir, four million zealous Hindus are granted Kashmiri domiciles to move them from India to Kashmir. Electoral constituencies are re-demarcated to the advantage of non-Muslim sections of population. All this electoral engineering is planned to get a Hindu elected as Chief Minister of Kashmir. To keep the world unaware of all these vile actions, international media and human rights organizations are not given access to Kashmir. State newspapers are being closed and journalists who expose these atrocities are being arrested. Internationally acclaimed human rights activist Khurram Parvaiz was arrested and sham charges of terrorism were leveled against him.
He said that under these circumstances, the people of Pakistan rest their hopes in the OIC meeting that it will take notice of the barbaric actions of Indian government in the occupied State of Jammu and Kashmir. They are hopeful that such effective measures will be taken that will put an end to the oppressive designs of the Indian government and the people of Kashmir will attain their right of self-determination. The people of Pakistan appreciate the supportive role played by OIC for the right of self-determination over the last three decades. OIC has always reiterated its principled viewpoint that the issue of Kashmir should be resolved according to UN Security Council resolutions by holding free and impartial plebiscite. Formation of OIC Contact Group on Kashmir, appointment of OIC’s Special Envoy on Kashmir, establishing Kashmir Relief Fund, and OIC’s Human Rights Commission’s report on human rights violations in Occupied Kashmir as a result of Indian government’s state-terrorism are all such actions that helped to attract international attention to the issue of Jammu and Kashmir. People of Pakistan have expectations that Islamabad Conference of OIC Foreign Ministers will exert further diplomatic pressure on India to to take practical steps towards resolution of the issue of Jammu and Kashmir. The Kashmir issue has lead to four wars between India and Pakistan, and increased tensions between two nuclear states may lead to dangerous turn of events putting regional and global, as well as peace of the Muslim world in jeopardy. It’s a fact that over ten million Indian workers are working in OIC member countries (specially the Gulf countries)These ten million Indian workers as well as businessmen send tens billions of dollars of foreign exchange to their country. Even a warning of cutting diplomatic and economic ties can compel India to negotiate peaceful settlement of Kashmir issue.
Sirajul Haq has said that the people of Pakistan urge the distinguished delegates to the OIC conference not to leave Pakistan alone. Pakistan, an important party to the Kashmir issue, has always stood by the just causes of Muslim Ummah, be it Palestine or the freedom of Algeria and Tunis, Pakistan has played an important role. In the Arab Israeli wars of 1967 and 1973, Pakistani pilots fought alongside Arab brothers to halt the Israeli aggression. Pakistan’s role to resist Soviet aggression in Afghanistan was pivotal. Pakistan played its role for the freedom of Bosnia despite difficult conditions. Pakistan has always been there to stop confrontation and tensions between two brotherly Muslim countries and promote an environment of brotherhood, peace and friendship. In the backdrop of such historic credentials, the people of Pakistan rightly expects that OIC member countries will not remain silent, but will rise to the occasion and support the oppressed and helpless Kashmiri brethren win their freedom. It’s a moral duty of not just Muslim countries, but all the international community at large to put diplomatic pressure on the Indian government to stop atrocities in Kashmir and resolve this issue according to UN Security Council resolutions.
He said that the people of Pakistan demand that a high-profile fact-finding OIC mission should be sent to the Indian Occupied State of Jammu and Kashmir, to observe human rights violations directly. Moreover, all the member countries should contribute to the Kashmir Relief Fund formed by OIC in the nineties to support orphans, widows, and effected families in Kashmir. It should also be made clear that the Kashmiri struggle for self-determination is a legitimate cause and freedom movement according to international law UN Charter. It must not be confused with any kind of terrorism. It is our moral obligation to support the battered Kashmiris in their struggle for freedom that they are engaged in politically, diplomatically and militarily. They have a legal right to adopt all these ways in a legitimate manner. In the current Russia-Ukraine conflict, both sides are recruiting international volunteers and calling it a movement for freedom. On the other hand, Kashmiri and Palestinian resistance, who are using their right to liberate their land from illegal occupation, are associated with terrorism. This is a betrayal and mockery of justice. The leadership of Muslim countries, and the delegates to this august conference, should put an end to these double standards by courageously supporting the legitimate freedom movements and oppressed peoples.
The people of Pakistan would like to present the following points to the honorable delegates to the OIC conference in Islamabad:
1. The people of the State of Jammu and Kashmir should be given the right of self-determination according to the UN Security Council resolutions.
2. The unilateral and illegal actions of the Indian government regarding the status of Jammu and Kashmir taken on August 5, 2019, should be condemned and rejected. Indian government has no right to disregard binding UN Security Council resolutions. The Indian government should be pressurized to take these actions back.
3. We appreciate the resolution about Kashmir adopted by OIC Foreign Ministers in their 47th conference in Niger’s capital Niamey in 2020. We expect that the 48th conference of OIC Foreign Ministers being held in Islamabad will proceed further and suggest practical ways to implement the previous resolution.
4. A high-profile fact-finding mission should be sent to the Indian Occupied State of Jammu and Kashmir to observe the human rights conditions directly and compile its report based on these facts. To put it on record, since the 1989 incident of deaths of more than 100 Kashmiris at the hands of Indian armed forces, more than 100,000 Kashmiris are martyred, 22,000 women widowed and 1,08,000 children orphaned. About 12,000 women were raped during this period.
5. Making artificial changes to demographic numbers in State of Jammu and Kashmir should be declared unlawful, and the legal status of settlers from outside should not be recognized.
6. All the OIC member countries should contribute to the Kashmir Relief Fund established by OIC to support families of martyrs, and the victims during the struggle for freedom.
7. OIC member countries should warn the Indian government against killings of innocent Kashmiris and violations of human rights by Indian armed forces. If such violations still continue, practical steps should be taken for economic boycott of India. Gulf countries should exert their influence in this regard.
8. Diplomatic pressure should be exerted on Indian government to protect economic rights, jobs and businesses of the Kashmiri people. Voice should be raised to protect Kashmiri people from economic exploitation.
9. Indian government should be called upon to send the 9,00,000 Indian armed forces back to India. The perpetual siege of oppressed Kashmiris and state-terrorism should be put to an end, and Kashmiris should be allowed to live their lives.