OIC Contact Group Urges Resolution to Kashmir Dispute

Banjul, The OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir has called for an immediate and peaceful resolution to the dispute in Jammu and Kashmir.

According to Kashmir Media Service, the call was made during a meeting of the Contact Group held in Banjul, The Gambia, alongside the 15th Islamic Summit of the OIC. The meeting was chaired by Yousaf-Al-Dobeay, Assistant Secretary General (Political Affairs) of the OIC and the Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Jammu and Kashmir, with participation from member states including Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Niger, and Azerbaijan.

Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar of Pakistan, leading his country’s delegation, urged the international community to recognize the provocations and claims by Indian leaders regarding Azad Jammu and Kashmir as threats to regional peace. He called for the release of all political prisoners, the lifting of bans on political parties, and the reversal of actions taken by India on August 5, 2019, which he described as aimed at altering the demographic and political landscape of the region.

Dar detailed the suppression of rights and freedoms in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, depicting a scenario of intimidation and fear used to stifle dissent. The meeting concluded with reaffirmed support from the OIC member states for the Kashmiri struggle for self-determination, aligning with relevant UN Security Council resolutions.