ISLAMABAD: Reaffir­ming the support of Organisation of Islamic Coopera­tion (OIC) for the Kashmiris’ right to self-determination, the special envoy of the OIC Secretary Gen­eral for Jammu and Kashmir, Amb­a­ssador Yousef Al Dobeay, on Wedn­esday asked India to immediately reverse the illegal actions it took in Occupied Kashmir on August 5, 2019.

“The current Indian leadership is bent upon perpetuating the occupation of Jammu and Kashmir,” the OIC special envoy said while speaking at a joint press conference with foreign secretary Mohammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi.

“The Indian authorities are total­­ly 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,” he regretted.

He said the OIC and its member countries believed “all the illegal steps taken by the Indian government in 2019 should be revised”. He noted the 57-member bloc of Islamic states was committed to the Kashmir cause and had sent a fact-finding mission to Kashmir last year to witness the situation on the ground.

Ambassador Al Dobeay said the issue also came up for discussion on the sidelines of the United Nations General As­­sembly session last month. “This is my message on behalf of the OIC to all the people concerned, especially the Kash­miri people, that we are with you,” he added. “We also support all your activities that are related to your rights.”

Mr Al Dobeay, who is on fourth visit to Pakistan, will meet the leadership of Pakistan and AJK, besides travelling to the Line of Control, where he will receive a briefing on the on-ground situation.

He will also interact with Kashmiri representatives to gain a better understanding of their plight.

Although the visit coincided with the conflagration of violence in Gaza, the envoy and the foreign secretary did not speak about the prevailing situation in the Middle East, nor did they take any questions. When approached for comment, the Foreign Office said that the visiting dignitary was the designated special envoy for Kashmir and that his mandate did not include Palestine.

Published in Dawn, October 12th, 2023