OIC contact group meets on Kashmir at UN General Assembly sidelines

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation's Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir convened Tuesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, bringing together senior diplomats from five member states to reaffirm support for the Kashmiri people's right to self-determination. Foreign ministers and officials from Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Niger attended the session, the OIC said in a statement.

OIC reaffirms stance on self-determination

OIC Secretary-General Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed underscored the organization's dedication to supporting what he described as the "inalienable" right to self-determination as the foundation for a "just and lasting" peace in South Asia, in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions and international law. In a joint statement, the contact group voiced "serious" concerns regarding the "continued detention and denial of bail" of prominent Kashmiri leaders including Yasin Malik, Asiya Andrabi, and Shabbir Shah — who has been diagnosed with cancer — according to Pakistan's Foreign Ministry.

Concerns over escalation and ceasefire

The ministers indicated deep concern over military escalation in the South Asian region in May 2025, referencing "unlawful and unwarranted" strikes conducted on multiple locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, while stressing the need for maximum restraint to avoid destabilizing actions. The group welcomed the subsequent ceasefire between Pakistan and India and expressed appreciation for "the constructive efforts made by all countries to mediate and bring the two parties together to reach this agreement," according to the statement, which drew no immediate reaction from New Delhi.

Pakistan warns against demographic shifts

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar highlighted what he called "continuing" restrictions on political and civic space in the disputed territory alongside "attempts to alter its demographic, political, and cultural character." He emphasized that Jammu and Kashmir remains an internationally recognized dispute under active UN Security Council consideration, adding that no domestic legislation or demographic manipulation could substitute for the Kashmiri people's right to self-determination. The disputed Himalayan region has served as a primary point of contention between the nuclear-armed neighbors since 1947, with India and Pakistan having fought three full-scale wars — two explicitly over Kashmir in 1948 and 1965 — alongside the Kargil skirmish in 1999.