Pakistan expresses its profound gratitude to the OIC for its consistent & unequivocal support to the Kashmir cause: Foreign Secretary

ISLAMABAD, Oct 11 (SABAH): Foreign Secretary Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi has said that Pakistan expresses its profound gratitude to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for its consistent and unequivocal support to the Kashmir cause. Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi said that the current Indian leadership is bent upon perpetuating India’s occupation of Jammu and Kashmir. The Indian authorities are brutally crushing the quest of Kashmiri people for their fundamental rights, especially the inalienable right to self-determination, as enshrined in the relevant United Nations and OIC Resolutions.

This was stated by Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi while addressing a joint press conference along with Special Envoy of the OIC Secretary General for Jammu and Kashmir Yousef Al-Dobeay on Wednesday.

Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi said that we are pleased to have in our midst, Yousef Al-Dobeay, Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and Special Envoy of the OIC Secretary General for Jammu & Kashmir.

Foreign secretary said that we have just concluded our productive meeting, during which we held comprehensive discussion on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, human rights violations in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, and OIC’s important role in support of the people of Jammu and Kashmir in realizing their inalienable right to self determination.

He said that Ambassador Al-Dobeay is no stranger to Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. This is his fourth visit to Pakistan. He last visited Pakistan in December 2022, when he accompanied the OIC Secretary General. During the current visit, our dear guest would meet the leadership of Pakistan and AJK. He is also traveling to the LOC where he will receive briefing on the on-ground situation. He would also interact with the Kashmiri representatives to gain better understanding of their plight.

Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi said that as OIC’s Special Envoy on Jammu and Kashmir, Ambassador Al-Dobeay is tasked with a significant mission. He serves as our vital bridge with the OIC General Secretariat, OIC mechanisms like Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) and Islamic Development Bank, OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir, broader membership of the OIC, other regional and international organizations and the international community, on matters relating to the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.

“I profoundly thank Ambassador Al-Dobeay and his team for successfully highlighting the legal, political, human rights and humanitarian aspects of India’s illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir, which has further aggravated since India’s illegal and unilateral actions of 5 August 2019” he said.

He said that the curbs on fundamental rights and freedoms of the Kashmiri people remain persistent. The entire Hurriyat political leadership – the genuine voice of the Kashmiri people – has been arbitrarily incarcerated for the past several years. The total number of detained political activists and human rights defenders comes to around 4,000.

He said that the Indian authorities have sought death penalty for one of the most renowned Kashmiri leaders, Muhammad Yaseen Malik, who was awarded life sentence, last year. Another Kashmiri leader, Shabbir Ahmed Shah, has spent over half of his 70 years’ life in jails.

He said that India’s unilateral and illegal actions of 5 August 2019 have opened a new chapter of oppression. The ultimate aim of these steps is to convert Kashmiris into a disempowered minority in their own land, he said.

“As you are aware, the OIC has a long-standing and principled position on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. The Organization has unequivocally affirmed its resolute support to the Kashmiri people for their just struggle for self-determination in a series of public pronouncements. The forceful resolution, unanimously adopted by the 49th Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) held in Nouakchott, is the most recent testimony to the OIC’s continued support to the Kashmir Cause” he said.

“Undoubtedly, the timely and complete implementation of the decisions taken under the OIC resolutions and the Action Plan adopted by the Contact Group in its meeting of 22 March 2022, would help in alleviating the sufferings of the Kashmiri people and finding a lasting solution to the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the relevant UNSC and OIC resolutions” he said.