The OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir held a ministerial meeting on 25 September 2019 on the sidelines of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly in New York.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) called on the international community to accelerate its efforts to help the people of Jammu and Kashmir decisively achieve their legitimate rights. It stressed that “lasting and durable peace in South Asia rests with just and final settlement of the dispute, in line with UN Resolutions, and that dialogue is the only way forward”.
In his statement at the meeting, the OIC Secretary General, Dr. Yousef A. Al-Othaimeen, said that “The Contact Group held an emergency meeting, at the level of Permanent Representatives, in Jeddah, on 6 August 2019,following the unilateral actions of the Indian Government to revoke Article 370 of the Indian Constitution that guarantees special status to Jammu and Kashmir. Before that, the Indian authorities sent 45,000 troops into the territory and made a complete lock down of the Kashmiri people’s day-to-day lives.
The Secretary General emphasized that the issue of Jammu and Kashmir is among the most important agenda items for the Organization. The 14th Islamic Summit held in Makkah al Mukarramah, last May, and the Council of Foreign Ministers meeting held in Abu Dhabi, last March, considered this issue. He further insisted on the need for the resumption of the dialogue process between Pakistan and India, which is a prerequisite for development, peace and stability in South Asia.