The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Hussain Ibrahim Taha, and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari have reaffirmed their commitment to supporting Kashmiris in their quest for the right to self-determination and vowed not to desert them. The long-running Kashmir dispute should be settled in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions. Hussain Taha recently traveled to the Line of Control and asserted that as Kashmir is a member of the OIC, it is our responsibility to find a peaceful solution to the conflict there. Along with President of Azad Kashmir Barrister Sultan Chaudhry and Prime Minister Sardar Tanveer Ilyas Khan, he also visited the area shelled, spoke to the locals about their hardships, and then addressed the media in Muzaffarabad. The arrival of the OIC office-bearer is positive news that will alert the Muslim world, if not the international community, to the egregious breaches of human rights in Jammu and Kashmir as a result of India’s illegitimate occupation. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari further expressed optimism that the OIC secretary general’s visit to Azad Kashmir will send a message to the whole world that the entire Muslim Ummah stands with the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Hussain Ibrahim Taha finished his three-day tour to Pakistan stating that the OIC is a single platform for 56 Islamic countries and more than two billion Muslims globally and that it is the Islamic world’s representative body throughout the world.
In terms of the worst human rights abuses, Palestine and Kashmir are two key issues in the Muslim world that have not yet been resolved and don’t appear to have any hope of a fair resolution any time soon. The Kashmir issue is an unresolved item on the UN agenda that has lain dormant for many years. In Occupied Kashmir, India is violating human rights in grave ways. The OIC, as well as the United Nations and the European Union, must pay special attention to the atrocities committed against Muslims in occupied Kashmir and the anti-Islamic actions of Indian rulers. This body, which is the voice of Islam worldwide, ought to work hard to find a long-term, peaceful solution to this issue and to advocate for Kashmir’s oppressed people in the UN and other international institutions. The OIC head’s visit is undoubtedly highly beneficial.
