Hissein Brahim Taha, the Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC), stated that Kashmir is the top issue on the OIC’s agenda and that he will present a thorough assessment report on the human rights situation in Kashmir to member nations.
After meeting with the president and prime minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), he made these comments during a joint press conference with the AJK president on Sunday at the Presidency. He also paid a quick visit to the refugee camps and the Line of Control (LoC).
Taha stated that he was in the AJK to assess the situation in accordance with resolutions issued by the OIC contact group on Kashmir and that he would present a thorough report to the group and Council of Foreign Ministers of the member nations. He would also like to ask India for permission to travel to the opposite side of the LoC.
The OIC SG stated that the second goal of his visit was to show support for the long-suffering people of Kashmir and to reassure them that the OIC, as the Muslim community, was always working to find a solution to their problem in conjunction with the rest of the world.
Secretary General @OIC_OCI H.E. Hissein Brahim Taha visited LOC to take first hand stock of the suffering of Kashmiris living on both sides of the LOC.
The SG OIC also met victims of cross border shelling and engaged in an interactive discussion to listen to their suffering. pic.twitter.com/ETIqaJdhZQ
— BilawalBhuttoZardari (@BBhuttoZardari) December 11, 2022
He claimed that during his one-day stay in the AJK, he spoke with refugees who had fled the Indian side of Kashmir as a result of the atrocities as well as those who had been impacted by Indian firing across the LoC. He would evaluate their issues and afflictions and include them in his assessment report.
In response to a query, Hissein Brahim Taha stated that as the organization’s secretary-general, it was his responsibility to discuss this matter with all partners and stakeholders in order to find a resolution to this age-old problem.
“My responsibility is solely to advise the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFMs) of the situation; they will then determine or suggest a course of action. Finding a solution to this long-standing problem is crucial, and Taha stated during the news conference that she will also engage India for this reason.
He thanked Barrister Sultan Mehmood Chaudhry, the president of the AJK, for welcoming him. The AJK president earlier welcomed the secretary general and referred to the arrival of the OIC chief as a significant day for the Kashmiri people, saying it was a source of inspiration for the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
Read More: OIC secretary-general in Islamabad on a three-day visit
Barrister Sultan recalled his meetings with the secretary general from three earlier occasions: the summit conference in March of last year, Jeddah in April, and then Washington and New York on the occasion of the UNGA meeting. During these meetings, he discovered that the OIC SG had a great deal of sympathy for the Kashmiri people.
On the occasion of International Human Rights Day, Sultan claimed he informed the OIC leader about the severe human rights abuses occurring in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K), adding that the secretary general had always supported the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination.