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November 21, 2005
 

The Left's continued Karat and stick approach

India's vote against Iran at the IAEA board meeting a few months ago has led to a lot of debate, now that another meeting comes up later this week.

The Left parties, ever keen to flex their muscles and vocal chords, have called for the government to change its stand or face the wrath of an entire nation. They claim that the government was influenced by visions of nuclear energy from the US. I really have no idea about what 'non-aligned nations' CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat is talking about. He says "Iran is India's friend"? With 'friends' like these, who needs enemies?

Speaking of who, I hope you do get the idea behind the title of this post. No? Damn!

Despite revelations that Iran helped India out a decade ago during an OIC vote on the issue of Jammu & Kashmir, evidence seems to suggest that Iran has either abstained from voicing its opinion or its voice has been unheard/unreported or it has gone along with the OIC's (and by extension Pakistan's) demands on the J&K issue. Ignoring for a moment the relevance of the 'Organization of the Islamic Conference', Iran is certainly a critical voice in the association. Hence it is certainly not a case of some tiny nation's voice being unheard. Iran has gone with the tide on just about every occasion, bar one or two.

In chronological order, this is how the OIC has reacted towards J & K. The 1997 summit was in Iran, no less. The 'patriotic' Loony Left wants India to support a country who hasn't bothered to do anything about J & K at OIC, regardless of how important OIC resolutions actually are.

It condemned the continuing massive violations of human rights of the Kashmiri people and called for the respect of their human rights including the right of self-determination. It also called upon Member States to take all necessary steps to persuade India to cease forthwith the gross and systematic human rights violations of the Kashmiri people and to enable them to exercise their inalienable right to self determination as mandated by the relevant resolutions of the Security Council.

The Conference affirmed that any political process or elections held under foreign occupation cannot be a substitute to the exercise of the right of self-determination by people of Kashmir as is provided in the relevant Security Council Resolutions. It supported the initiative of the Government of Pakistan to engage India in a dialogue for resolving all outstanding issues including the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir and encouraged India to reciprocate positively. It commended the efforts being made by the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir.

The Conference appreciated the efforts made by the Secretary General for enabling the true representatives of the Kashmiri people to have their views expressed in OIC and other international fora, and requested him to continue to take all necessary steps in this regard. [1997]

The Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference is following with deep concern the tension on the frontiers between Pakistan and India, which has been growing over recent days to a serious level which may herald its eruption into an armed conflict between the two countries for no other reason but Pakistan's support for the right of the Kashmiri people to self-determination and to control over their own future.

The Secretary General reiterates the OIC's consistent support for the cause of the Kashmiri people in favour of their self-determination in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions and with resolutions and declarations issued by the OIC's Summit and Ministerial Conferences. [1999]

India’s renunciation of the international resolutions relating to the issue of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and its continued rejection of their legitimate right to self-determination, transformed the region into a center of conflict wherein tension may detonate at any time as a result of any accident regardless of its magnitude. The downing by Indian Forces of unarmed Pakistani plane in the summer of 1999 and the hijacking of an Indian passenger plane in the last week of December 1999, placed India and Pakistan on the verge of war. Both of them started threatening each other with the use of nuclear weapons.

The core of the conflict in the issue of Kashmir stems from the right of the people of Kashmir to self-determination in accordance with the relevant international resolutions, rather than the occasional armed disputes that arose between India and Pakistan despite the fact that the main cause of these disputes was the issue of Jammu and Kashmir.

Consequently, it is high time for the OIC to demand vigorously that the Security Council implement all its resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir and adopt the necessary measures for the preservation of the international peace and security.

In implementation of the Resolution of the 20th ICFM, the Organization called on India to accept the dispatch of an OIC fact finding mission.

It is quite unfortunate that India did not respond to the OIC good offices. Indeed it continued overlooking facts in Jammu and Kashmir as it persisted in denying the Kashmiri people even the right to be heard by the international community. The delegation representing the Kashmiris was prevented from departing from Kashmir to New York to participate in the meeting of the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir, the OIC Annual Coordination Meeting and to raise their just cause before 54th session of the UN General Assembly.

Human rights in Jammu and Kashmir are subjected to massive violations that included even worship shrines of Muslims. Such a situation makes incumbent on the entire international community to exert humanitarian efforts to compel the Indian Government to respect human rights in Jammu and Kashmir, put an end to their violations, rescind all repressive laws including "the law of special powers for the armed forces", release Kashmiri detainees and to approve the free travel of Kashmiri leaders to take part in international meetings. Indian authorities should also approve visits by international human rights organizations to Jammu and Kashmir to closely monitor the situation therein. Some dreadful statistics indicate that in 1999 alone 916 civilians were killed in Jammu and Kashmir, 82 died in detention, 290 houses were destroyed or burned, and 34 women were raped.

In order to check such abhorrent acts and flagrant violations, the international community should act and the issue of human rights in Kashmir should be included in the agenda of the UN General Assembly.

As the repercussions of struggle for the realization of freedom and basic rights have been reflected on the entire living conditions of the Muslim people of Jammu and Kashmir , aggravated the poverty and deprivations and misery of people, it is incumbent on the OIC Member States, the financial institutions, particularly the Islamic Solidarity Fund and the Islamic Development Bank, to extend humanitarian assistance and to aid the Kashmiri people struggling for freedom and self-determination.

The Islamic Republic of Pakistan has assumed the principal role in dealing with the Kashmiri issue which produced negative implications on its development process and its stability and security. Consequently, proceeding from its Charter and the spirit of Islamic solidarity, the OIC reiterates its continued support to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan with regard to the measures it takes with the aim of reaching a just and peaceful solution to the issue of Kashmir. It also reaffirms its support for the Pakistani endeavors aimed at conducting a dialogue with India to resolve the dispute on Jammu and Kashmir. Furthermore, the OIC expresses its full preparedness to exert the necessary efforts to reach a durable settlement in Jammu and Kashmir which will be fair for all and open the perspectives of peace and development for the region of South Asia. [2000]

Expressing serious concern over the intensification of repression and the continued violation of the human rights of the Kashmiri people, including the denial of their inalienable right to self-determination;

Gravely concerned that in disregard of its obligations under the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and the relevant Conventions, including Geneva Convention, India has continued to violate, with impunity, fundamental human rights of the Kashmiri people;

Alarmed over the continued tension in South Asia caused by India's refusal to reduce deployment of its forces along the Line of Control and the Working Boundary in Jammu and Kashmir;

Regretting that India has rejected Pakistan's proposal for a reciprocal ceasefire along the Line of Control and within the Indian occupied Kashmir and also the repeated offer of enhanced monitoring of the LoC on both sides in Kashmir;

Deeply disappointed that India has sought to evade resumption of dialogue for resolution of differences and finding a peaceful solution on the pretext of cross border infiltration and in this context notes with regret that India has refused and rejected proposals for verifiable monitoring of the Line of Control.

Deeply disturbed that the introduction of nuclear weapons in South Asia has made such tension infinitely more dangerous, and cognizant of the terrible consequences of a war between Pakistan and India;

Aware that the sham elections held in the Indian occupied State o f Jammu and Kashmir are not a substitute to the plebiscite under UN auspices in accordance with the UN Security Council and UNCIP Resolutions; [2003]

The Group called for an immediate end to the gross and consistent violations of human rights and called for grant of access to international human rights bodies, the special mechanisms of CHR and international media in Jammu and Kashmir to regularly monitor the human rights situation.

The Group rejected any attempt to denigrate the Kashmiri people's valiant struggle for self-determination as terrorism and recognized that elections in Jammu and Kashmir were no substitute to the UN administered plebiscite for enabling the people of Jammu and Kashmir to realize their just right.

They condemned the unabated violations of the human rights in Indian occupied Kashmir, the extrajudicial killing of over 85,000 Kashmiris, rape and molestation of Kashmiri women, enforced disappearances of over 100,000 Kashmiris and routine use of worst forms of torture against people held in custody.

They also condemned that behind smokescreen of dialogue, the Indian forces had continued massacre of civilians and their use as human shields, construction of fence, its electrification and laying of mines along LOC and incarceration of political leaders and impunity of India soldiers under draconian laws. [2004]

The OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir reaffirmed support for the Kashmiri people for their right to self-determination and expressed deep concern over the situation of human rights in Jammu and Kashmir. The Contact Group comprising Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Niger, Pakistan and Representative of the OIC Secretary General met in Geneva, today, at the Ambassadorial level on the sidelines of the 61st Session of the Commission on Human Rights. True Representatives of the Kashmiris also attended the Contact Group meeting.

The Contact Group adopted a joint statement reaffirming the commitment of the OIC for a just solution to the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. The Group expressed concern on the reports of intensification of gross and consistent human rights violations and called for an immediate end to these violations. It called for grant of access to international human rights bodies and media in Jammu and Kashmir to monitor the human rights situation.

The Group rejected attempts to denigrate the legitimate freedom struggle of Kashmiri people as terrorism. It recognized that elections in Jammu and Kashmir were no substitute to the UN administered plebiscite. [2005 OIC Contact Group]

Labels: communist, crazy commies, iran, left, loony left