ISLAMABAD: The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) adopted a new resolution reaffirming its support for Kashmir during the 47th session of the group's Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) in Niamey, Niger, the Pakistani foreign office said on Saturday.
Representatives of 57 OIC member states were attending the two-day meeting on Friday and Saturday, during which the council discussed issues confronting the Muslim world. The situation in Indian-administered Kashmir was one of the session's main points of focus.
"In a Resolution adopted unanimously by the 47th Session of the OIC in Niamey today, the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) reaffirmed its strong support for the Kashmir cause. The OIC categorically rejected illegal and unilateral actions taken by India since 5 August 2019," the foreign office said in a statement after the meeting attended by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
On Aug. 5, 2019, New Delhi scrapped Articles 370 and 35A of the Indian constitution that granted special autonomous status to the region. It also divided the state into two federally administered units — Union Territory of Ladakh and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The move was followed by a crackdown on political activity, arrests of hundreds of political leaders and activists, and a lockdown of the region.
In April this year, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced a new set of laws giving domicile rights to non-Kashmiri Indians, a move which has been widely seen as aiming at altering the demographic character of the country’s only Muslim-majority region.
The OIC resolution demands that India cancel the issuance of domicile certificates to non-Kashmiris as well as Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Order 2020.
It also condemns human rights violations by Indian forces in the region and calls on the international community to "review their engagements with India, the occupying power, as it is violating and disregarding the international law, the international humanitarian law, and international resolutions," the foreign office's statement read.
The resolution acknowledges that Kashmiri territory is the "core dispute between Pakistan and India" which must be resolved for a peaceful South Asia. It also recognizes the people of Kashmir as the "principal party to the dispute, and should be included in any peace process."
Both Islamabad and New Delhi claim all of Kashmir since gaining independence 73 years ago, and have fought two wars over it. Both control parts of the territory, which is divided between them by a United Nations-mandated Line of Control (LoC).
OIC representatives also emphasized that the question of Kashmir is "of utmost importance" for the Muslim community and it will be discussed during the next foreign minister's session that is going to be held in Islamabad.
During the session in Niamey, the OIC also unanimously adopted a Pakistan-sponsored resolution regarding Islamophobia in the context of a rise in incidents targeting Muslims 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," the Pakistani foreign office said.
In accordance with the resolution, March 15 will be annually observed as International Day to Combat Islamophobia.
The OIC resolution also calls on the UN secretary general to "initiate a global dialogue on countering rising Islamophobia and promoting interfaith harmony."
