OIC again rakes up Kashmir issue, but stays silent on protests in PoK

Deadly protests have rocked PoK in recent weeks.

The General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has once again brought up Jammu and Kashmir in a statement as it defends the people’s “right to self-determination”. The General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation issued a statement on Monday in which it reiterated its “full solidarity in the legitimate quest of the people of Jammu and Kashmir for their right to self-determination”.

“The General Secretariat reaffirms its unwavering and full support in the just struggle of the people of Jammu and Kashmir for their fundamental human rights, including the inalienable right to self-determination, in accordance with the relevant decisions of the Islamic Summit and the Council of Foreign Ministers. It also calls on India to respect the fundamental human rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” the statement said.

“The Secretary-General also emphasizes the need for a final settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and reiterates its call on the international community to ensure the implementation of these resolutions,” the statement added.

However, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation remains silent on many issues such as Pakistan’s attack in Kabul, the killing of Afghan cricketers by Pakistan and the unlawful elimination of the Baloch people by the Pakistani authorities. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation also ignored the recent protests against the Shehbaz Sharif government in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Earlier, European writer and West Asian affairs expert Michael Arizanti had harshly criticized the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and Arab states for turning a blind eye to the killings in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), accusing global powers and Islamic nations of “shameful hypocrisy” for turning a blind eye to state violence against Kashmiri Muslims.

In a blog published in the Times of Israel, Arizanti compared the muted response to civilian deaths in PoK to the global outrage over Gaza and questioned why “the death of a Palestinian in Gaza is a global headline, but the death of a Kashmiri Muslim in Muzaffarabad is a footnote.”

“The Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which was very quick to make a statement against India whenever an incident took place in Jammu and Kashmir, did not say a single word about the massacre in PoK. Not a single word,” he wrote. “Where are the imams, the scholars, the ministers who buzz about Gaza every Friday? The hypocrisy is as obvious as it is shameful.”

Arizanti noted that at least 10 people were killed and more than 100 people were injured when Pakistani forces opened fire on protesters demanding affordable electricity and flour in Muzaffarabad, Dheerkot, Rawalakot and Mirpur. Arizanti accused both Western and Islamic nations of double standards, saying, “The massacre of Muslim civilians in PoK barely raised a whisper. The selective outrage is deafening.” he wrote.

(Except for the title, this news has not been edited by the DNA team and is published from ANI news agency).