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New York, 24 September 2021
Today, the President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJ&K) Mr. Sultan Mehmood Chaudhry met with the Permanent Observer of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to the United Nations Ambassador Agshin Mehdiyev in New York. The President appreciated OIC’s continued, unequivocal support for the right to self determination of the Kashmiri people. He noted that the recent adoption of the Joint Communiqué, during the Ministerial level meeting of the OIC Contact Group on Jammu & Kashmir on the sidelines of the UNGA, was yet another manifestation of OIC’s longstanding support to the Kashmir cause.
The President AJ&K informed the Permanent Observer that he has come to New York during the UNGA session for a specific purpose: To apprise the international community on the continued atrocities and gross human right violations committed by over 900,000 Indian troops deployed in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
The President said that the situation in the occupied territory has acutely deteriorated since the illegal Indian decision of 05 August 2019 which eliminated the statehood status of the occupied territory. Since then, he noted that India has imprisoned the entire Kashmiri leadership, illegally detained thousands of Kashmiri youth, including women and children, summarily executed young boys, put down protests violently and burnt down entire neighborhoods and villages.
The President underlined that India is carrying out a systematic and carefully crafted ‘settler colonial’ project in IIOJK, highlighting that the Indian Government has already issued over 4.2 million fake domicile certificates to non-Kashmiris with the aim to change the demography of the occupied territory.
During the meeting, the President AJ&K also mentioned the barbaric treatment meted out to the mortal remains of the great Kashmiri leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, whose body was forcibly snatched and his family denied the right of a proper burial by the Indian occupation forces.
The President said that in the face of all these atrocities, continued support by the OIC is critical to keeping the sense of hope alive among the oppressed people of IIOJK.
The Permanent Observer reaffirmed OIC’s principled position on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. He reiterated the OIC’s complete solidarity with the people of IIOJK and assured the President that the OIC would continue with its steadfast support and commitment to the Kashmiri brethren.