OIC – The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation issued a statement strongly condemning the “killing of innocent Kashmiris by Indian Troops”. “The OIC General Secretariat strongly denounced butchering of innocent Kashmiri civilians by Indian forces in the Kashmir Valley where 7 demonstrators and 3 militants were shot dead by Indian forces.
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“The secretariat condemned this terrorist act and called upon the international community to play its role in order to reach a just and lasting solution to the Kashmir Conflict, in accordance with the relevant international resolutions adopted by the OIC and the UN Security Council, and fulfil the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.”
#OIC General Secretariat expressed strong condemnation of the killing of innocent Kashmiris by #Indian forces in Indian-occupied #Kashmir (#IOK) where direct shooting at demonstrators in Pulwama region claimed the lives of a number of innocent citizens: https://t.co/vHbpWj4Xby
— OIC (@OIC_OCI) December 16, 2018
Earlier, Foreign Minister Qureshi shared that he had written a letter to the OIC secretary general along with letters to the United Nations secretary general and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Condemning the killing of 10 Kashmiris by Indian forces in Pulwama, the Qureshi said he had asked the officials to intervene with promptness “so that people could get relief from the Indian ruthlessness”.
Pakistan PM Imran Khan also sharply condemned the killings of protesting civilians at the hands of Indian forces “Kashmiris must be allowed to decide their future,” Khan added, stressing that the Kashmir conflict could only be resolved through dialogue and “not violence & killings”.
Why Kashmir Is Vital For Both India and Pakistan?
Jammu and Kashmir is located in the northernmost region of the Indian subcontinent. The region is unlike any other part of India and Pakistan because of its snow-capped mountain regions and pristine rivers.
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India-administered Kashmir is known as Jammu and Kashmir, which includes the regions of Jammu, Kashmir Valley, Ladakh, and Siachen. Pakistan-administered Kashmir is known as Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. China-controlled Kashmir territories are known as Aksai Chin and the Trans-Karakoram Tract.
Two wars have broken out over control of Kashmir, the first after partition in 1947 and the second in 1965. India bases its claims of control of the area because the King of Kashmir handed over several powers, including the control of the region, to India after partition. Pakistan bases its claims of control over the area because the area is predominantly Muslim and therefore it should always have been theirs. But that is not the real reason why Kashmir is so important.
Both India and Pakistan are prepared to lose everything for the land because, without it, they wouldn’t be the countries they are today. The real reason why both nations want Kashmir is because of what the land has to offer- glaciers and freshwater.
For India, the glacier waters that flow through the region give clean water and electricity to nearly a billion people. For Pakistan, the region’s glacial waters power the agricultural sector of its economy.
The threat of losing control, however, is greater for Pakistan, as India extends its reach into the region. As India’s nearly one billion population expands, it has begun a search to develop more water facilities.
Due to India’s reach is deeper, Pakistan is apprehensive that India could shift the water supply and use it as a weapon against them, threatening the livelihood of the country. Because of this, the region serves as a major national security issue with the potential of triggering another war between the two nuclear countries.
In a futile attempt by the World Bank to solve this tricky issue, India and Pakistan signed the Indus Waters Treaty which gave India control of the Beas, Ravi, and Sutlej Rivers and Pakistan control over the Indus, Chenab, and Jhelum rivers. This treaty isn’t a final solution but a way to quell the tensions until the next dispute arises.
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