ISLAMABAD: Special envoy of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Jammu and Kashmir Yousef Aldobeay has said the OIC will continue to support the right to self-determination of the people of Kashmir.

The special envoy said that he would prepare and present a report during the next ministerial meeting of the OIC on the situation in the region.

He expressed these views on Sunday while discussing the Kashmir situation with representatives of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) in Pakistan.

Altaf Wani, Ghulam Mohammad Safi, Faiz Nakshbandi and Sheikh Abdul Mateen were part of the APHC delegation which met the OIC’s special envoy.

He will present a report during the next OIC ministerial meeting on the situation in the region

This is the second visit of the envoy to Pakistan and Azad Kashmir. His visit last year to the AJK was beneficial in that he had the opportunity to meet the Kashmiri leadership, Mr Aldobeay said.

He assured the delegation of Kashmiri leaders that the OIC would continue to extend support for the Kashmir cause.

In the coming days, the OIC envoy will get a first-hand account of the gravity of the situation in occupied Jammu and Kashmir and along the Line of Control.

The Kashmir issue is similar to the Palestine question, as human rights of the people of Kashmir, like those of Palestinians, are being violated and they are facing the threat of demographic change.

The envoy reiterated that the OIC had been supporting the right to self-determination of the people of Jammu and Kashmir since long in accordance with the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions.

The foreign ministers in the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir had earlier extended support to Kashmiris during a meeting on the sidelines of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly in New York in September.

After the meeting, which was chaired by OIC Secretary General Dr Yousef Al-Othaimeen, a joint statement was issued.

The statement said the meeting discussed developments related to the Kashmir issue and OIC efforts to support the people of Kashmir in their struggle to obtain their rights, including the right to self-determination sanctioned by all statements issued by the Islamic Summit and the Council of Foreign Ministers, in addition to decisions of the UN and the Security Council since 1948.

The participants expressed their commitment to continue supporting the Kashmiri people to reach a lasting solution that preserves their dignity and rights. They prayed for the soul of the late Kashmiri leader, Mr Ali Gilani.

The Contact Group called for the issue to be highlighted at international forums, especially at the UN, to seek immediate action to improve the human rights situation in held Kashmir.

Published in Dawn, November 8th, 2021