Muslim bloc to address situation in Kashmir

ANKARA

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) "upon the request of Pakistan" will hold an emergency meeting at the level of foreign ministers over the current situation in Jammu and Kashmir, according to the Turkish Foreign Ministry on Monday.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu will also participate in the Emergency Meeting of the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir, where "possible joint actions within the OIC concerning the ongoing problems regarding human rights and freedoms in Kashmir will be discussed," said the statement.

Additionally, foreign ministers of Azerbaijan, Niger, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia will also participate in the online meeting.

The OIC is the collective voice of the Muslim world to ensure and safeguard their economic and political interests.

Kashmir is held by India and Pakistan in parts but claimed by both in full. A small sliver of the region is also controlled by China.

Since they were partitioned in 1947, the two countries have fought three wars -- in 1948, 1965, and 1971. Two of them have been over Kashmir.

Some Kashmiri groups in Jammu and Kashmir have been fighting against the Indian rule for independence or unification with neighboring Pakistan.

According to several human rights organizations, thousands of people have been killed in the conflict since 1989.

On Aug. 5, 2019, the Indian government revoked Article 370 and other related provisions from its Constitution, scrapping the country’s only Muslim-majority state with its autonomy. It was also split into two federally administered territories.

Simultaneously, it locked the region down, detaining thousands of people, imposing movement restrictions and enforcing a communications blackout.