JEDDAH: The position of the Organization of the Islamic Conference on Kashmir is very clear and hopefully the struggle of Kashmiri people will soon produce positive results, Ambassador Izzat Kamel Mufti, special representative of the OIC secretary-general, said on Monday.
Speaking as the chief guest at the observance of Black Day at a meeting held at the residence of Pakistan Consul General Zaigham Uddin Azam to express solidarity with the Kashmiri people in their struggle for freedom and right to self-determination, Mufti said he recently visited Pakistan and Azad Kashmir and had fruitful discussions with the important leaders of both Pakistan and Kashmir. He also visited Chakoti, the Line of Control (LoC) and the earthquake areas and monitored the rehabilitation work the OIC had undertaken.
He said he observed a renewed commitment of Pakistani and Kashmiri leadership for an early, peaceful and negotiated settlement of the Kashmir issue and hoped that the confidence-building measures would bear fruit.
He said the situation on the LoC had considerably improved and hoped that the “same commitment will also be shown by the Indian leadership.”
Capt. Ammoud Al-Shumaimary underlined the need to follow in the footsteps of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and revert to the commandment of Allah. “Muslims should review lives and deeds otherwise many more Kashmirs and Palestines will go into the hands of enemies,” he said.
Tariq Al-Maeena, a renowned journalist and intellectual, said the subject was dear to everyone who loved freedom. “It is not less than the struggle of the Palestinian against the Israeli aggression,” he said, adding that the demand of Kashmiris for the right to self-determination has been admitted by the UN through 18 resolutions passed on the subject.
“The right to self-determination is now being recognized and spoken loudly even by the Indian journalists and intellectuals,” he added.
Mian Khalid, chairman of Kashmir Committee, said the observance of Black Day was meant to mark the “illegal occupation of the Indian forces who had no legal and moral justification for occupying Kashmir.” According to him, 90,000 people have been killed during the last 60 years and now new undercurrents are going on in Kashmir since two decades.
“For the last two months, the situation in Kashmir is taking a turn and India will soon be forced to vacate Kashmir for the presence of 700,000 troops cannot keep the Kashmiri in siege or as hostage,” he said.
Waseem Shahid of Al-Azizia School highlighted the history of Kashmiri struggle. The consul general in his concluding remarks said: “All of us have gathered here as supporters of the Kashmiri struggle for freedom and right to self-determination, spanning over the last six decades.”
Underscoring the importance of the need to resolve the longest outstanding issue on the UN and OIC agenda, we owe a debt of gratitude to Mufti for his continued and demonstrated commitment toward a peaceful solution of the Kashmir dispute.
