ISLAMABAD: Human rights violations in India-held Kashmir are not an internal matter of the Indian state, said Iyad Amin Madani, secretary-general of the 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

The head of the world's largest bloc of Muslim countries has expressed concern over human rights violations in India-held Kashmir, which has seen weeks of deadly clashes between Muslim protesters and police.

Madani told a joint news conference along with Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz that the situation in Kashmir was deteriorating and urged the international community to act, saying the situation should be resolved at the political level.

"The international community should raise its voice against the atrocities in India-held Kashmir.

“Unfortunately, very few voices have come out against Indian tyranny,” said Madani.

“The situation in Kashmir is heading towards a referendum. No one should be afraid of a referendum and the solution should be through the United Nations resolutions in accordance with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people. The human rights violations in India-held Kashmir are not internal matter of the Indian state.”

The secretary general said the OIC is eager that the Kashmir issue is resolved and fully supports Pakistan. “The OIC has a dedicated special advisor on Kashmir and a liaison group that will meet at the UN General Assembly session in the United States.”

“Just statements alone are not enough when it comes to occupied Kashmir but the issue cannot be raised at the political level with silence.”

The secretary general said he hopes the next session of the OIC will be held in Pakistan. “Pakistan has hosted many historical sessions of the OIC in the past.”

The Advisor on Foreign Affairs welcomed Madani’s remarks, saying the two had spoken at length on the Kashmir issue.

Aziz stressed that Pakistan and India should resolve the Kashmir issue through dialogue. “We want dialogue with India, but we are waiting on India’s response, after which the situation will become clearer.”

The foreign affairs advisor urged the international community and the UN take notice of the human rights violations in Kashmir.

Opinion

Editorial

Killing fields
09 Jul, 2025

Killing fields

AS Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, along with their respective delegations, sat down to dinner in the White...
Crypto rush
09 Jul, 2025

Crypto rush

STEP by step, Pakistan is, at least on paper, moving closer to recognising, adopting and regulating cryptocurrencies...
Another plan
09 Jul, 2025

Another plan

FAILING to plan is planning to fail, as the old saying goes. This seems to have occurred in the case of Karachi, a...
Green tokenism
Updated 08 Jul, 2025

Green tokenism

Climate decisions must be based on facts, not politics — guided by independent science and open to public scrutiny.
Cotton decline
08 Jul, 2025

Cotton decline

PAKISTAN’S cotton economy is in a crisis. Production has fallen from a peak of 14m bales 10 years ago to 5.5m ...
Pet problems
08 Jul, 2025

Pet problems

PAKISTANIS’ obsession with exotic pets keeps ending in tragedy. Incidents like the recent lion attack in a Lahore...