The Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) has decided to set up a special human rights commission on Kashmir and also to raise the existing strength of Contact Group on Kashmir by including more members soon.
According to Kashmir’s chief Muslim cleric and leader of his faction of separatist Hurriyat Conference alliance, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the OIC’s assistant secretary-general and special envoy on Kashmir Abdul Aleem told him in Brussels that the effort was aimed at building diplomatic pressure on India to resolve the issue of Kashmir amicably and also improve its human rights record in the state.
He quoted the OIC official as saying it was concerned over reports of increasing incidence of human rights violations emanating from Jammu and Kashmir. “He also told me the OIC’s proposed human rights commission will soon begin its work and come up with its first report within a short period of time,” the Mirwaiz, who is in Brussels to attend the 5th Global Discourse on Kashmir in the European Parliament, said.
The discourse jointly organised by Kashmir Centre, EU and the All Party Group for Kashmir in the European Parliament under the chairmanship of James Elles MEP, and hosted by Jean Lambert MEP, resolved that there must be a dialogue which involves the main protagonists including the Kashmiris, India, and Pakistan and that the Valley must be demilitarised in order to make substantive progress.
It also said that the international organisations such as the EU and the OIC have an important role to play in formulating a solution and that there is a need for greater awareness within the international community. It urged the international community to encourage dialogue by means of encouraging the government of India to actively engage in the pursuit of a resolution to the current situation. This should be facilitated by the European Union and the OIC, it said.
The meet said the promotion of trade between all parties would be seen as a means of building confidence whilst increasing prosperity of all concerned parties and those with international and regional ties.