Ashrafi urges G20 leaders to condemn Indian atrocities in IIOJK, protect minority rights

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Ulema Council Chairman, Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi, on Thursday appealed to the leaders of G20 nations to raise their voices against the Indian atrocities committed against minority communities and urge India to end the cycle of injustices against the people residing in Indian Illegal Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) , which is currently the world’s largest prison.

Talking to Local and Arab media here, he said the entire Muslim Ummah was closely watching the Organization Islamic Cooperation, currently led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with hopes that it would continue to play a leading role in advocating for the rights of oppressed Muslims in India and the occupied Kashmir.

Ashrafi emphasized that Kashmir remained a long-standing issue where India, for the past seven decades, had forcefully occupied the region, subjecting it to the worst human rights abuses. He noted that India, under the guise of democratic rule, was systematically erasing the self-determination rights of Kashmiri people and settling extremist Hindus and Pandits from other regions to change the demographic makeup of the region.

He said more than 150,000 Kashmiris had fallen victim to the Indian military’s brutality and oppression, with young Kashmiris becoming victims of heinous acts by the Indian armed forces daily.

He stressed that not only Kashmiris but any religious minority living on Indian soil was no longer safe, as extremist Hindu organizations supported by the Modi government had made the lives of minorities unbearable. Ashrafi said in a society plagued by religious fanaticism, religious minorities were no longer secure in India as Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, or anyone from any religious background who did not adhere to the extremist Hindu ideology was at risk.

In such dire circumstances, the G20 nations should become the voice of the oppressed and raise their voices against the injustices committed against minorities in India and occupied Kashmir, he added.

He reiterated that Saudi Arabia, currently leading the Organization Islamic Cooperation, held a central position in the eyes of the entire Muslim Ummah.

“The Muslim world expects Saudi Arabia to play a decisive role in advocating for the rights of oppressed Muslims in India and the occupied Kashmir,” he said urging Saudi Arabia to continue to champion the just cause of the oppressed Muslims and fulfill its leadership role.

He also mentioned that Pakistan had consistently supported dialogue with India to resolve all outstanding issues, including the Kashmir dispute, in accordance with United Nations resolutions.

He made it clear that India should resolve the occupied Kashmir issue according to the United Nations resolutions for the peace of the region.

He said, “If Saudi Arabia takes up this role, it will provide reassurance to Pakistan and the entire Islamic world, bringing hope for a peaceful resolution to the Kashmir conflict through dialogue between Pakistan and India.” (APP)