Ishaq Dar Urges OIC to Maintain Unified Position on Jammu and Kashmir

NEW YORK: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar addressed the Ministerial Meeting of the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Ishaq Dar thanked the OIC Secretary-General, members of the Contact Group, the OIC Special Envoy on Jammu and Kashmir and the OIC Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission for what Pakistan described as their continued support for the Kashmiri people.

Dar Highlights Situation in Jammu and Kashmir

The deputy prime minister highlighted what he described as continuing restrictions on political and civic space in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir.

He also raised concerns over what Pakistan considers attempts to alter the region’s demographic, political and cultural character.

Ishaq Dar said Jammu and Kashmir remains an internationally recognised dispute on the agenda of the UN Security Council.

He maintained that domestic legislation, judicial decisions, electoral exercises or demographic changes cannot replace what Pakistan considers the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination.

Pakistan Calls for Unified OIC Position

The foreign minister urged OIC member states to maintain a unified position on Jammu and Kashmir at the United Nations and other international forums.

He reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to what he described as a just and peaceful settlement of the dispute in accordance with relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people.

The meeting at the UN General Assembly provided an opportunity for OIC member states to discuss developments concerning Jammu and Kashmir and coordinate their positions on the issue.