OIC special envoy visits Azad Jammu and Kashmir

MUZAFFARABAD: A high-level delegation led by Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Special Envoy for Jammu and Kashmir, Yousef Muhammed Saleh Aldobey, visited Muzaffarabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

The delegation held meetings with senior military officials in Murree and received a detailed briefing on the ongoing human rights violations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

The delegation also visited refugee camps and vocational training centers in Muzaffarabad, where they met with Kashmiri refugees. The OIC delegation appreciated Pakistan’s efforts for the welfare of Kashmiri refugees.

Expressing solidarity with the people of Kashmir and Palestine, the delegation reaffirmed its commitment to raising its voice against human rights violations in the occupied territories.

The delegation comprised senior OIC officials and was accompanied by representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and NUML University.

Earlier, Pakistan condemned the Indian authorities’ decision to ban two Two Kashmiri political organisations for five years.

“Pakistan denounces the Indian authorities’ decision to declare the ‘Awami Action Committee’ and ‘Jammu and Kashmir Ittihad-ul-Muslimeen’ as ‘Unlawful Association’ for a period of five years,” the foreign office said.

The ‘Awami Action Committee’ is led by a prominent political and religious leader, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. The ‘Jammu and Kashmir Ittihad-ul-Muslimeen’ was also founded by another notable political and religious leader, Maulana Mohammad Abbas Ansari, who headed it till his demise in 2022.

“The recent decision increases the total number of outlawed Kashmiri political parties and organizations to 16. Banning of different political parties and organizations is yet another manifestation of the Indian authorities’ iron-fisted approach in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). It reflects a desire to suppress the political activities and stifle dissent. It also shows sheer disregard of democratic norms and international human rights law.”