Adviser to Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz has emphasised that Jammu and Kashmir was not a territorial dispute between Pakistan and India but it was primarily about the exercise of the right to self-determination by Kashmiri people, as promised to them in the UN Security Council resolutions and the assurances of Indian leadership.
Sartaj Aziz, who is visiting New York for the 69th Session of UN General Assembly, participated meeting of the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir at the UN headquarters in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session on 25th September. The meeting was chaired by the Secretary General OIC, H.E Iyad Ameen Manani. The Foreign Minister of Turkey Mevlut Cavusoglu and Saudi Permanent Representative to OIC Mohammad Tayyab attended the meeting on behalf of their countries. Niger's Minister for Foreign Affairs was represented by Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Advisor said the fundamental right to self determination was denied to Kashmiri people despite a passage of more than six decades. During this period, the Indian security forces had unleashed the worst form of torture and oppression, but the valiant people of Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir had neither abandoned hope nor given up their legitimate struggle for self-determination.
He pointed out that the Cathy Scott-Clark report had confirmed over 6,000 unmarked graves in the Indian Occupied Kashmir. The recent discovery of mass graves at 38 sites in North Kashmir had added a new dimension to this gory saga. The OIC, UN, EU and international human rights organisations had, time and again, voiced concern over these gross and systematic human rights violations but the Indian security forces had shown little regard for international opinion.
The Adviser urged the international community to take meaningful steps to put an end to the ordeal of the Kashmiri people and to call upon India to stop violations of their fundamental human rights. The Advisor reiterated that Pakistan wanted a peaceful resolution of the dispute in the best interest of peace and stability in the region. Pakistan had sincerely embarked on a composite dialogue process with India. India's decision to call off the 25 August Foreign Secretary level talks with Pakistan on a flimsy pretext was a setback to the negotiations process, the Advisor added.
Speaking of the recent devastating floods in Kashmir, the Advisor expressed concern over the reports of selectivity in distribution relief assistance by Indian authorities. He appealed to the OIC to provide relief assistance to the flood affected people on both sides of LoC, and conveyed Pakistan's readiness to facilitate its delivery among the affectees without discrimination.
In his statement, the Foreign Minister of Turkey stressed that the Kashmiri's aspirations for self-determination must be addressed in accordance with relevant UNSC resolutions. The international community had a moral and legal responsibility to resolve this longstanding issue. Turkey wanted a peaceful settlement of Kashmir which should be acceptable to Pakistan, India and the people of Kashmir. Turkey was ready to play its due role in this regard.
Expressing concern over cancellation of talks by India and the rising tensions across LoC, the Turkish Foreign Minister called on the parties resume the negotiations process without delay and engage in a meaningful and result-oriented dialogue for a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute.
The Saudi Permanent Representative to OIC stated that Jammu and Kashmir was a longstanding conflict on the agenda of the UN Security Council which needed resolution by the international community. Saudi Arabia strongly supported the realisation of the national rights of Kashmiri people through a peaceful dialogue, which was the only way out for both India and Pakistan. Any settlement of the conflict must take into account the aspirations of Kashmiri people. Saudi Arabia wanted India and Pakistan to resume negotiations process and the United Nations to invest more efforts in a peaceful resolution of the conflict. It was high time that the Kashmiri people are given their fundamental human rights and a chance to live in peace and dignity.
President of AJK Sardar Muhammad Yaqoob Khan and a delegation of the True Representatives of Kashmiri people, represented by Ishtiyaq Hameed, also delivered statements which they highlighted the ground situation arising from the continued Indian occupation, oppression, and the recent devastating floods in Kashmir. The Kashmiri delegation also presented a Memorandum to the Secretary General containing proposals for a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue.
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