Islamabad, 12 Oct 2023:Azad Jammu and Kashmir President, Barrister Sultan Mehmood Chaudhry, articulated his faith that the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will play a significant role in advocating for the right to self-determination of the Kashmiri people, based on the organization’s history of support for the issue. In a comprehensive meeting with a high-level OIC delegation, led by the Special Envoy for Jammu and Kashmir, Yousef Aldobeay, at Kashmir House in Islamabad, Chaudhry outlined the OIC’s active stance in support of the Muslim Ummah globally, particularly emphasizing its position on the challenges faced by the people in Kashmir and Palestine, according to the Kashmir Media Service.

Chaudhry recounted that after the revocation of Articles 370 and 35A in occupied Jammu and Kashmir by India on August 5, 2019, the Secretary General of the OIC openly condemned India’s illegal actions and voiced support for the Kashmiri people, a gesture that was deeply appreciated by them. He highlighted the enduring struggle for freedom by the Kashmiri people and underscored significant changes and challenges since India’s unilateral and illegal action in 2019, such as alterations to constituencies in occupied Kashmir. Chaudhry expressed that India seems to be strategizing to bring a Hindu Chief Minister into power, an act designed to quash the Kashmir issue and annex the region.

Chaudhry expressed his aspiration for the international community, and especially the OIC, to intercede in halting the ongoing Indian atrocities in Kashmir and to find resolution for both the Kashmir and Palestinian conflicts.

In response, Yusuf M. Al-Dubey conveyed the OIC’s unwavering support for the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination and assured that the OIC will persist in its advocacy at all levels to ensure the rights of the Kashmiris are upheld in the future.