LAHORE - Although foreign ministers of the 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation recently reaffirmed support to the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination and called for the resolution of the Kashmir dispute between Pakistan and India, and atrocities being perpetrated in Occupied Kashmir are being highlighted by the world media, no change in New Delhi’s policy has been witnessed. Its oppression is going on unabated and, unless effective steps are taken against it, the BJP-government will go to any extent to crush the freedom movement in occupied Kashmir.

The reason is very simple. A country which did not comply with the UN Security Council resolutions for six decades cannot be expected to give importance to the OIC resolutions, especially when it knows that the Islamic states will not take any follow-up steps and forget the issue pretty soon. If the OIC states really want the Kashmiris get their rights they will have to come up with an effective line of action. For example, they should set a deadline for India to stop oppression, and in case it fails to do so, take punitive measures against it. Economic boycott by OIC states can be an effective tool that can force India to honour the commitments it gave the world body with regard to the self-determination right of the Kashmiris.

As a matter of fact, it is the collective responsibility of the world community to help the Kashmiri people. But it is the religious obligation of the Muslim states to help their oppressed Kashmiri brethren get their rights. In case they played the role of silent spectators, as they did in the past, they would be failing in their duties.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has already sought a report from the country’s embassies in other countries to inform him as to what they did to project the Kashmir issue in their host countries. They would be issued more guidelines in the days ahead.

A meeting of parliamentary parties leaders to be held at the Prime Minister’s House today is due to discuss the Kashmir situation and relations with India at length and work out a future strategy.

While evolving the country’s future line of action, the participants must bear in mind that the Kashmiri people have been rendering sacrifices for the past three decades. There is not a single family in Occupied Kashmir which remains unaffected or which did not suffer at the hands of the occupation forces. At present the freedom movement is at its peak. If India succeeded in crushing it, it will be very difficult for the freedom fighters to build the same momentum ever again.

This means the Kashmiris should be helped sustain their movement. And at the same time Pakistan should also gauge its standing among the OIC states by appealing them to consider the option of economic boycott of India. In fact, rich Arab countries which have employed millions of Indians should be approached in particular with the request to use their influence on India. And if New Delhi doesn’t yield, the Arab countries should consider the option of sending Indians back to their country. This can be the best way of expressing solidarity with the oppressed Kashmiri people and help them get their due rights.

India cannot afford to face the consequences of the economic boycott or the return home of its workers in Arab countries who send billions of dollars every year. Its economy will collapse if all Islamic countries stop trade with it. But will they consider such an option? This will be a test for the PML-N government.

The countries that don’t want to have their ties with India affected adversely have consistently advised Pakistan to resolve the Kashmir dispute through bilateral talks with India. While giving such a ‘valuable’ advice they conveniently forget that India is not willing to discuss the dispute in talks with Pakistan. Countless sessions held in the past failed to make any headway. A country which claims that Kashmir is its integral part and is unwilling even to accept it as a dispute will never agree to hold talks on the subject. India knows well that the people of Occupied Kashmir want accession with Pakistan and they are offering all sacrifices for this objective. That those killed by Indian forces like to be buried in Pakistani flags speaks volumes about their love for Pakistan.

Pakistan should come up with a matching response. And this will be possible only when the Kashmiris are given all possible assistance permissible under the international law.