OIC reaffirms support for Pakistan on Kashmir dispute

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has slammed India's state-sponsored terrorism in Occupied Kashmir as it reaffirmed support for Pakistan on the cause.

According to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday, the OIC, in a unanimously adopted resolution at the 47th Council of Foreign Ministers "(CFM), deplored India's state terrorism.

"[The OIC] denounced the use of pellet guns by Indian troops in [Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir]," the statement said, adding that it urged New Delhi to abide by international human rights obligations.

Urging the international community to review their engagements with India, the OIC acknowledged the people of Jammu and Kashmir as a principal party to the dispute.

The OIC has decided to further consider the Jammu and Kashmir dispute at the 48th CFM that is scheduled in Islamabad, the statement said.

The organisation strongly urged India to implement recommendations of two reports of the United Nations for human rights in the region and also reaffirmed that the final decision of the region would be through a free and impartial plebiscite.

Meanwhile, in a landmark development, the OIC unanimously adopted a Pakistan-sponsored resolution regarding Islamophobia, according to the Foreign Office.

Tabled during the 47th Session of the OIC CFM in Niamey, Niger, the Resolution was drafted in the context of rising incidents of Islamophobia in many parts of the world.

The Resolution expresses concern that Islamophobia, as a contemporary form of racism and religious discrimination, was on the rise.

"It also expresses deep concern at the recent incidents of desecration of the Holy Quran and reprinting of caricatures of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) which hurt sentiments of more than 1.8 billion Muslims around the world," the statement said.

The Resolution decides to designate 15 March as the “International Day to Combat Islamophobia” each year. It authorises the OIC Permanent Missions in New York to jointly table a Resolution in the UN General Assembly, calling for the establishment of this day.

Speaking on the occasion, Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who led Pakistan’s delegation to the CFM, said that adoption of the Resolution was a reflection of the sentiments of billions of Muslims who respected other religions and expected similar respect for Islam and the Holy Prophet (PBUH).