OIC’s HR group raises voice for Kashmiris

ISLAMABAD: India has been told clearly that its “wicked measures” are aimed at converting the indigenous Muslim population into minority within their homeland and obstruct the exercise of their inalienable right to self-determination.

This time it is the Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) that raised voice in support of Kashmiris in Indian Held Kashmir while condemning the India government’s recently concluded illegal exercise to redraw and delimit the electoral constituencies in IIOJK. It also called out to the UN and the international community to pressure India.

In a statement released by the Foreign Office, the Commission termed it violative of numerous OIC and UN Security Council Resolutions as well as international human rights and humanitarian laws.

“IPHRC accordingly supports the unanimous rejection of the Kashmiri political leadership of these illegal measures, which are continuum of the host of other ‘Hindutva’ inspired illegal steps taken by the Indian occupation regime in IOJK in the aftermath of the 5th August 2019”, adds the statement.

While recalling that the indigenous Kashmiri political leadership has always rejected and boycotted the electoral politics in IIOJK, the Commission condemns the recent Indian attempt to redraw electoral constituencies in IIOJK, which is a nefarious attempt to alter the electoral demographics and dynamics in a manner that could influence the sham electoral results to install puppet regimes of its choice in IIOJK.

These measures it pointed out are manifest violations of the human rights of the Kashmiri people, guaranteed under well codified international human rights treaties including Fourth Geneva Convention, which clearly prohibits any change in the demographics of the occupied areas and resultant disenfranchisement, the Commission added.

It outright rejected these measures as illegal, reiterates its oft-repeated call to the UN and the international community to play their due role to pressurise India to: a) abide by the relevant UNSC and OIC resolutions to refrain from any administrative and legislative actions, which tantamount to altering the geographic and demographic status of the IOJK; b) restore all fundamental freedoms of Kashmiris and repeal all discriminatory laws; and c) allow people of Kashmir to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination through a free and fair plebiscite, as provided in the relevant UN Security Council and OIC resolutions.