OIC call to lift IHK curfew big achievement: Qureshi

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi Friday said the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) had demanded asked India to immediately lift curfew in the Held Kashmir, which is another diplomatic achievement for Pakistan.In a video message, Qureshi said he had participated in a meeting of the OIC in Jeddah and discussed the issue with the members. Subsequently, the OIC also issued a press statement.

The minister said people in occupied Kashmir had been facing shortage of food and medicines and they were unable to reach hospitals due to the curfew.

“This demand is not only of Pakistan, but of the entire Muslim countries,” Qureshi said.

He hoped that the UN Security Council will also pay attention to the voice raised by the OIC.

According to a statement, the OIC’s Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission joins the international community in condemning the ongoing security lockdown/curfews and communications blackout in the IHK by the Indian occupation forces, which remained in place even during the festive period of Eidul Azha.

“Local and international media have widely reported the fact that Kashmiris were prevented from offering the congregational Eid prayers at Srinagar’s historical Jamia Masjid and other mosques for fear of protests against the government.”

The commission added: “These arbitrary and unjustified administrative measures have prevented Kashmiris from performing their religious rites, a blatant violation of the right to freedom of religion, which includes the right to manifest one’s religion in teaching, practice, worship and observance, guaranteed in Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief and other international human rights instruments.”