KUALA LUMPUR, April 1: Interior Minister Moinuddin Haider on Monday said the tragedy of Palestine and Kashmir must end and the issues must be resolved in accordance with international norms and the principle of respect for the wishes of the people.

In a statement at the Organization of Islamic Conference ministerial conference, he said, Palestine and Kashmir represented the oldest problems where people were being denied their fundamental rights of freedom and dignity and were subjected to state terrorism.

He said the OIC had a direct stake in seeking a just settlement of the issues and as “we continue the fight against terrorism along with the rest of the international community, we must also demand more vigorously, justice for the oppressed people of Palestine and Kashmir.”

He said: “We must not allow the tragedy of Sept 11 to be exploited to create a divide among peoples of different faiths and to resurrect and reinforce prejudices that may be a legacy of the mediaeval times. Terrorism has no religion, race or ethnicity.”

Moinuddin Haider said: “We must ensure that the fight against terrorism does not become a pretext for targeting any Islamic country.”

The minister said international cooperation to combat terrorism should be conducted in conformity with the principles of the United Nations charter, international law and relevant international conventions.

“We do not accept the tendency to label states and societies as terrorists,” he said.

Moin said it was important for the Islamic countries to maintain a united stand, especially in international forums.

He said the OIC countries should share relevant information through an institutional mechanism in the fight against terrorism. “Our resolve to fight terrorism must not detract us from our commitment to ensure justice for the oppressed people of Palestine and Kashmir,” he said.—APP