JEDDAH — Former Saudi diplomat Ali Al-Ghamdi, a renowned scholar and newspaper columnist, has appealed to Iyad Madani, secretary-general of the Organization Islamic Cooperation (OIC), to take prompt action to stop the bloodshed and human rights violations in Indian-held Jammu and Kashmir. Al-Ghamdi was speaking as the chief guest at a meeting organized by the Pakistan Repatriation Council (PRC) at Mehran Restaurant in the Aziziyah neighborhood of Jeddah on Saturday to express solidarity with the Kashmiris who are fighting for of self-determination. The death of Kashmiri youth leader Burhan Wani in a suspected encounter killing triggered widespread violence in the disputed territory. Al-Ghamdi thanked the PRC for organizing the meeting on the tense situation in Jammu and Kashmir, which has now entered a very crucial stage. He said India was using all types of force to suppress the fundamental rights of Kashmiris. India and Pakistan, along with the genuine Kashmiri leadership, should engage in dialogue to find an amicable solution to the Kashmir problem. He said without solving the issue, lasting peace cannot be realized on the subcontinent. Al-Ghamdi said Pakistan's pleas for peace in Kashmir will gain greater support if it decides to repatriate and rehabilitate stranded Pakistanis who have been living in miserable conditions in Red Cross camps in Bangladesh for the last 45 years. He said Allah has blessed Nawaz Sharif to become the country's prime minister for a third time so he must take care of the interests of stranded Pakistani citizens everywhere. Zareen Khan, a member of the Kashmir Committee, Jeddah chapter, chaired the meeting. He said Kashmiris have been fighting for their right to self-determination since July 13, 1931, when 22 young boys became martyrs as police opened fire in Srinagar on demonstrators who were protesting against the atrocities of the despotic Dogra rulers. He said the determination of the Kashmiri people to demand their right to freedom remained undaunted despite the use of such brutal force by the authorities. Khan called for a fair and transparent inquiry into the killings of Burhan Wani and other innocent Kashmiris. He urged all community members to pray for the martyrs of Kashmir and for the success of the freedom struggle. Other speakers included Jamil Rathore, general secretary of Pakistan Journalists Forum; Aziz Ahmed, secretary-general of Pakistan Engineers Society (PES); Altaf Rahman, member Pakistan Engineers Welfare Forum (PEWF); Shamsuddin Altaf, lawyer and a member of the Pakistani community; Faheem Maitla, media coordinator, Pakistan People's Youth Organization (PPYO); Sheikh Mohammad Luqman, businessman, and Urdu writer Mohammed Amanatullah. The speakers thanked PRC for holding the solidarity meeting. They stressed that the Pakistan government should work with close allies such as Saudi Arabia to raise the issue of Kashmir in OIC and the United Nations to mobilize support for Kashmiris in their heroic struggle against illegal occupation. Earlier, the function started with the recitation of Holy Qur'an by Mohammad Ali Al-Ghamdi. A naat in praise of the Prophet (pbuh) was presented by Jameel Rathore. Convener Syed Ehsanul Haque thanked Zareen Khan, Ali Al-Ghamdi and other guests, speakers, poets and journalists for participating in the meeting held at short notice. He reiterated the PRC's view that Pakistan is incomplete without Kashmir and the stranded Pakistanis in Bangladesh. He urged Prime Minister Sharif to activate the Senate Committee created in October 2015 under Senator Sartaj Aziz and take concrete steps for the repatriation of all stranded Pakistanis in Bangladesh.
