Kashmir committee expresses solidarity

JEDDAH — The Kashmir Committee, Jeddah, met on Monday to express solidarity with Kashmiri people in Indian Occupied Kashmir in the wake of ongoing violence perpetrated by the Indian forces. The committee condemned continuing atrocious human rights violations in the Indian Occupied Kashmir, which include the use of brutal force to physically target innocent civilians including women and children, denial of the right to peaceful protest and assembly, protracted and strict curfews and unlawful detention of human rights activists and civilians. The committee called on India to immediately stop gross, systematic and state sponsored human rights violations in Kashmir and allow international human rights and humanitarian organizations an unhindered access to the occupied state. The committee stressed that the root cause of the current situation in Indian Occupied Kashmir is the denial by India of promised right to self-determination of the Kashmir people. The committee called upon international community and organizations to play their part in the realization of their right to self-determination without further delay. The committee thanked Saudi Arabia as well as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and Pakistan Consulate for their consistent support to the legitimate Kashmiri struggle. The committee requested OIC Secretary General and OIC member states to highlight the ongoing human rights violations in the upcoming OIC Council of Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Tashkent on Oct. 18-19. The committee stressed that strong message of political, moral and humanitarian support to the Kashmiri people by Muslim Ummah should be sent by the OIC leadership in this meeting. — SG