Muslim bloc condemns violence in disputed Kashmir

By Mahmud Geldi

RIYADH (AA) - The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) condemned the “indiscriminate” use of force by Indian troops, who killed at least 17 Kashmiris on Sunday.

In a Monday statement, OIC Secretary-General Yousef bin Ahmed al-Othaimeen urged the international community “to play its rightful role in promoting a just and lasting solution to the Kashmir dispute”.

The solution, the statement read, should be in accordance with “relevant OIC and UN Security Council resolutions and respond to the aspirations of the Kashmiri people”.

Al-Othaimeen also called on India to allow a fact-finding mission -- led by his special representative for Jammu and Kashmir and the OIC’s Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission -- into Indian-controlled Jammu and Kashmir.

“The secretary-general also conveyed his sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery for the injured,” the statement read.

Kashmir, a Muslim-majority Himalayan region, is held by India and Pakistan in part and claimed by both in full. A small sliver of Kashmir is also held by China.

The two countries have fought three wars -- in 1948, 1965 and 1971 -- since they were partitioned in 1947, two of which were fought over Kashmir.

Since 1984, Indian and Pakistani troops have also fought intermittently in Kashmir’s northern Siachen Glacier region, where a cease-fire came into effect in 2003.

Some Kashmiri groups in Jammu and Kashmir have fought Indian rule in hopes of acquiring independence; others call for unification with neighboring Pakistan.

According to human rights groups, thousands of people have been killed in the conflict since 1989.