Kashmiris must be given right to self-determination: Pak PM at OIC summit
Srinagar, Jun 01: Urging the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to stand against the oppression going on in the Muslim world, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday demanded right to self-determination for Kashmiri people.
Khan, according to ‘Geo News’, said the people of Kashmir have not been given their right to self-determination as had been guaranteed by the UN Security Council’s resolutions.
“The Kashmiris are making a political struggle for their freedom and they must be given their right to self-determination,” he said, as per the report.
He was speaking at the 14th Summit of OIC in Makkah. On Friday, the OIC secretary general said that “linking of Kashmir movement with terrorism was a violation of international law”.
Khan said the western world has equated Islam with terrorism which had done a tremendous disservice to the Muslim community.
In his maiden speech at the OIC, Khan while talking about Islamophobia said, “When someone from the West blasphemed our Holy Prophet (PBUH), I always felt the response from the Muslim Ummah and OIC was lacking.
“The OIC — us heads of states — owes a responsibility to the Muslim world […] when somebody blasphemes our Prophet (PBUH), it is a failure of the OIC that we have not been able to explain to the other countries the love and affection we feel for our Holy Prophet,” Khan said.
“Some western countries are suffering from Islamophobia. The West should differentiate between moderate Muslim and extremist Muslim.”
“The international community has to respect the feelings of more than 1 billion Muslims,” he added.
“I also want to bring up the point that the Muslim world must pay more attention to science and technology,” the Pakistan premier urged. “We must pay more attention to quality education and universities; an area in which the Muslim world lags. I fear the Muslim world may be left behind again and this is the best forum to raise this concern in.”
