Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan Discuss Kashmir in New York

A meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Contact Group on Kashmir took place in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session. Foreign Ministers and senior officials from Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Niger participated in the meeting. The meeting was chaired by OIC Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha. A Kashmiri delegation was also present. The political and security situation in Jammu and Kashmir was reviewed during the meeting. Representatives expressed concern over the human rights situation in the region. Pakistan’s Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (Foreign Affairs), Tariq Fatemi, stated that lasting peace in South Asia is linked to the resolution of the Kashmir dispute. He appealed to the OIC to exert constructive pressure on India, demanding the release of political prisoners. The OIC welcomed the recent ceasefire between India and Pakistan and appreciated the mediation efforts. The organization stated that recent events demonstrate that lasting peace in the region is difficult without a solution to the Kashmir issue. The meeting also noted that provocative rhetoric from regional leaders could affect peace efforts. The OIC expressed concern over the large number of arrests of political and human rights activists. It also called the restrictions on religious gatherings in Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid and Eidgah inappropriate. The organization reiterated its rejection of the decisions taken by the Indian government on August 5, 2019, and the demographic changes that followed. It also stated that elections held in Kashmir cannot be an alternative to the right to self-determination. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan once again raised the issue of Jammu and Kashmir from the platform of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York. He advocated for resolving the Kashmir issue through dialogue between India and Pakistan. Erdogan said that for our brothers and sisters in Kashmir, this issue should be resolved with the help of the UN Security Council. India has rejected such comments before, maintaining that Jammu and Kashmir is its internal matter.