SRINAGAR, DEC 17 (PTK): Hours after Syed Ali Shah Geelani called on the international community to “intervene” and stop the ongoing bloodshed in Kashmir, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) issued a statement strongly condemning the “killing of innocent Kashmiris by Indian forces”.
“The OIC General Secretariat expressed strong condemnation of the killing of innocent Kashmiris by forces in Kashmir where direct shooting at demonstrators in Pulwama region claimed the lives of a number of innocent citizens,” read a statement by the organisation on Monday.
“The secretariat condemned this terrorist act and called upon the international community to play its role in order to reach a just and lasting solution to the conflict in Kashmir, in accordance with the relevant international resolutions adopted by the OIC and the UN Security Council, and fulfill the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.”
It added the condolences of the general secretariat to the families of the victims.
While addressing a press conference a day earlier, Pakistani Foreign Minister Qureshi shared that he had written a letter to the OIC secretary general along with letters to the United Nations secretary general and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Condemning the killing of 7 civillians by forces in Pulwama on Saturday, the foreign minister said he had asked the officials to intervene with haste “so that people could get relief from this brutality”.
The foreign minister also added that he had asked the OIC to immediately convene an inter-ministerial meeting of its’ Contact Group on Kashmir, saying Pakistan was ready to host the event.
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday also sharply condemned the killings of innocent civilians at the hands of Indian security forces.
“We will raise [the] issue of India’s human rights violations in IOK & demand UNSC [UN Security Council] fulfill its J&K plebiscite commitment,” the premier said in a tweet.
“Kashmiris must be allowed to decide their future,” Khan added, stressing that the Kashmir conflict could only be resolved through dialogue and “not violence & killings”.
Meanwhile Director-General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asif Ghafoor also condemned civilian killing in Kashmir.
In a Twitter post, Major General Asif Ghafoor said bullets “can never suppress unarmed brave freedom fighters” and called on the Indian army to respect ethics of professional soldiering.
“State sponsored terrorism by Indian Occupation Forces on innocent Kashmiris including unethical targeting of civilian population across LOC are highly condemnable. Bullets can never suppress unarmed brave Freedom Fighters. Indian Army must respect ethics of professional soldiering,” the DG ISPR wrote.
Security forces, killed seven youth in Pulwama district on Saturday.
The killings sparked protests by residents resulting in clashes between the demonstrators and the forces. Forces fired bullets, pellets and teargas shells to disperse the protesters, which led to two more young people being killed and several others getting injured.
Indian atrocities in the valley have left tens of thousands of people dead since 1989 most of them civilians. But this year has been the deadliest since 2009, with more than 500 people killed so far. Authorities said last week that incidents of violence were on track to double this year compared to 2017. (PTK)
Comments are closed.