OIC and APHC warn unresolved Kashmir dispute blocks regional peace

The All Parties Hurriyat Conference has said India’s continued occupation of Jammu and Kashmir and its refusal to honour the Kashmiri people’s UN-recognised right to self-determination are prolonging the conflict and keeping lasting peace in South Asia out of reach, according to the Associated Press of Pakistan.

The statement came as the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir met in New York on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. The group, chaired by the OIC secretary general and including Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Niger, stressed that lasting peace in South Asia is linked to a peaceful solution of the Kashmir dispute, Minute Mirror reported.

In its joint statement, the contact group expressed concern over the situation in Indian-administered Kashmir. It said a security crackdown followed the Pahalgam attack, with around 2,800 people arrested and dozens of houses demolished. The statement also said more than 3.4 million domicile certificates have been issued in Indian-administered Kashmir since 2019.

The OIC statement raised concerns about the continued detention of Kashmiri leaders Yasin Malik, Asiya Andrabi and Shabbir Ahmad Shah. It specifically mentioned concerns about Shah’s health, saying he is suffering from cancer. The group called for the release of political prisoners, an end to restrictions and an improvement in the human rights situation.

Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, addressing the contact group, warned that leaving the Kashmir dispute unresolved could create serious risks and referred to the May 2025 Pakistan-India conflict, Daily Times reported. He said Kashmiris have waited for nearly eight decades to exercise their right to self-determination.

The OIC has also said the dispute cannot be treated as a matter of the past and continues to affect the lives of people in Kashmir, Minute Mirror reported. A durable peace in South Asia will require serious efforts to address the underlying dispute, the OIC statement said.