Indian security forces continue to act with impunity in occupied Kashmir, killing unarmed protesters, firing pellet guns with the intention to blind, and using rape as a weapon of repression. Countless young Kashmiris have been subjected to arbitrary arrests, detentions, torture and custodial killings. Curfews, internet blackouts, and ban on foreign media reporting are order of the day. In the latest atrocity last Saturday, seven civilians were killed and some 200 wounded, several of them grievously, when Indian troops opened fire on them. India has gone on to commit gross human rights violations secure in the knowledge that leading international proponents of humanistic values make a selective application of their stated standards. Just the other day, in a fresh example of double standards, the US State Department sanctioned three top North Korean officials for alleged "human rights abuses" including extrajudicial killings, torture, prolonged arbitrary detention, rape and sexual violence - some of the same crimes, and many more, India is committing in occupied Kashmir.
Encouraged by Western countries' silence, India has rejected a UN proposal for an investigation into human rights violations as well as the first-ever UN report released last September, which among other things, found Indian troops guilty of at least 145 unlawful killings. With a moral obligation to protect the Kashmir people, Pakistan has moved to play a more proactive role to draw international attention towards their suffering. Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi called a press conference on Sunday, where he asked the international community to take notice of the ongoing situation in Kashmir, explaining that at this point in time "I am not talking about the issue [Pak-India dispute over Kashmir]; I am talking about humanity. There should be no hesitance raising your voice against the brutality towards humans." Lest anyone thought Pakistan was pressing for the resolution of the trilateral dispute -between India Pakistan and the Kashmiri people - he further clarified his side's position urging human rights watchdogs, in particular the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), to "at least distinguish between an issue and the ruthless killing spree." Notably, speaking last March at the UNHRC session in Geneva High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid al Hassan had termed the prevailing conditions in Indian held Kashmir a matter of grave concern. Secretary-General of the world body, Antonio Guterres has also been expressing his concern. That though has not helped.
As a last hope, Pakistan has decided to approach the OIC. Qureshi told journalists he has requested the OIC Secretary-General to immediately convene an inter-ministerial meeting of the Contact Group on Kashmir either in Islamabad or in Riyadh on the latest situation in Kashmir. Considering that Pakistan's focus is now on the human rights violations rather than the resolution of the larger issue, it should not to be so difficult for the member states to come to the rescue of fellow Muslims suffering unspeakable atrocities. The Gulf states employing hundred of thousand of Indians have considerable leverage that they can exert if they so choose. Pakistan's plea to the OIC is a test case for this organisation claiming to be "collective voice" of Muslims, and working to "safeguard and protect the interests of Muslim world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony."
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