*UNITED NATIONS: Organization of Islamic Council’s (OIC) officials and atop Saudi diplomat voiced strong support for Kashmiri people in theirstruggle for their UN-pledged right to self-determination at a specialevent held in New York to mark the 72nd anniversary of India’s massiveinvasion and occupation of Kashmir, known as “Black Day.”*
The largely-attended event was organized by Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi, theoutgoing Pakistan’s ambassador to the UN, whose dedication to the Kashmircause was praised by guest speakers, with Ghulam Nabi Fai,secretary-general of Washington-based World Kashmir Awareness, calling herthe “voice of Kashmiri people.”
It was the first time that foreign diplomats joined the annual observanceof “Black Day” held here to voice their solidarity with the oppressedpeople of Jammu and Kashmir and to denounce India’s annexation of thedisputed state in violation of the UN resolutions and its lockdown, nownearing three months, which is enforced by 900,000 troops.
Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador Agshin Mehdiyev, permanent observer ofOIC to the UN, enumerated the steps taken by the 57-member organization insupport of the Kashmiri people, and urged the international community toaccelerate its efforts to help them “decisively” in achieving theirlegitimate rights.
He also drew attention of the audience to the joint communique adopted byOIC’s Contact Group on Kashmir last month that called on India to rescindit’s decision to strip the state’s special status, withdraw the inhumancurfew and other restrictions and free thousands of detained people,especially young boys, and the local political leaders.
Ambassador Mehdiyev underscored the need for a peaceful resolution of Jammuand Kashmir dispute through the democratic method of a free and impartialplebiscite in accordance with relevant UN Security Council resolutions andaspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
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Ambassador Abdallah Y. Al-Mouallimi, permanent representative of SaudiArabia to the UN, reaffirmed his country’s unequivocal support for Kashmirand Pakistan.
“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has always stood by Pakistan on Kashmir and wehave always advocated self-determination for the Kashmiri people, as theSaudi people unanimously support their cause,” he said.
The Saudi envoy said that the struggle of people of Kashmir will not gounanswered “Inshallah”, and that it was not a “wishful thinking but realityis that you cannot suppress a population of 8 million”.
