Islamabad, 24 March 2022 (TDI): The OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir met in Islamabad. The meeting was held on the sidelines of the 48th Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM).

Hissein Brahim Taha, the OIC Secretary-General chaired the session. Foreign Ministers and high-level dignitaries of Niger, Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey participated in the summit.

The delegation of Pakistan was led by Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi, the Foreign Minister of Pakistan. Dr. Haci Ali Acikgul, the Chairperson OIC Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC), President Azad Jammu & Kashmir, True representatives of the Kashmiri people along with senior OIC officials attended the conference.

The Foreign Minister of Pakistan emphasized the just struggle of the Kashmiri people for their inalienable right to self-determination and the OIC’s conscientious stance and persistent support for it.

He accentuated that enduring peace and stability in the South Asian region will not be realized unless a just and durable resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute is materialized.

This resolution must be in conformity with United Nations Security Council resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people. Foreign Minister Qureshi underscored that ever since the illegal and unilateral actions of 5 August 2019 by India, the situation has further deteriorated.

India’s actions have accelerated the deprivation of rights and freedoms to Kashmiris, incapacitating and summarily executing and torturing Kashmiris on a monumental scale along with detaining and killing the legitimate Kashmiri leadership.

In the transgression of international law as well as the UN Security Council resolutions, India was aspiring to alter the demography of the IIOJK.

The OIC Contact Group also took noticed the appalling and rampant human rights transgressions in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

OIC Secretary-General along with the Chairperson of the IPHRC presented their reports on the situation in the occupied territory. They also made recommendations for action.

The participating Foreign Ministers highlighted the significance of Jammu and Kashmir on the agenda of OIC. They also expressed support for the Kashmiri people.

President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir as well as the True Representatives of the Kashmiri people briefed the Contact Group, in their statements, about the blatant violations of human rights in IIOJK and urged the OIC for continued support for the Kashmir cause.

At the conclusion of the meeting, a comprehensive Joint communiqué has been adopted. This includes an action plan, that reaffirms OIC’s position and resolutions on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute unequivocally.

In addition, the communique repudiates the illegal and unilateral Indian actions of 5 August 2019 along with succeeding steps to change the demographic layout of the IIOJK.

Likewise, it reiterates complete solidarity with the Kashmiri people in support of their legitimate struggle. Furthermore, it proclaims that the final settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute must be in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions.

Moreover, the communique states that a UN-supervised plebiscite was paramount for enduring peace and stability in the South Asian region.