OIC delegation in Pakistan working on 'comprehensive report' on Kashmir

A Pakistan's army soldier stands guard on the Line of Control (LoC) at Abdullah Pur village in Bhimber district of Pakistani-administered Kashmir on February 5, 2021. (AFP/File)
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  • The special OIC envoy for Jammu and Kashmir says the report will be presented to member states in the next organizational meeting in March
  • Aldobeay says he is hopeful the OIC foreign ministers' meeting in Pakistan next year will yield 'fruitful results'

ISLAMABAD: A senior official of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) said on Thursday his delegation in Pakistan was working on a "comprehensive report" on the situation in Kashmir that would be presented to the member states during the organization's forthcoming meeting in March.

Ambassador Yousef Aldobeay, the special OIC envoy for Jammu and Kashmir, made the statement while addressing a joint news briefing with Pakistan's foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in Islamabad.

The OIC official is on a six-day visit to Pakistan along with other colleagues to evaluate the situation in the internationally recognized disputed territory.

According to the military's media wing, ISPR, the delegation visited the de facto border separating the two sides of Kashmir, and "interacted with the victims of Indian ceasefire violations."

"We have been asked to prepare a comprehensive report [on Kashmir]," the OIC official told journalists. "Whatever we have seen and examined will be included in our detailed report that will be presented to the foreign ministers' meeting in March."

Ambassador Aldobeay pointed out the OIC had passed several resolutions focusing on Kashmir and peace between Pakistan and India.

He said the organization had always maintained a "clear position" on the Kashmir dispute.

In response to a question, he informed that the OIC was trying to secure permission from New Delhi to visit Indian-administered Kashmir, adding its secretary general had also interacted with Indian diplomats in this regard.

Meanwhile, foreign minister Qureshi expressed hope that the presence of a high level OIC delegation in Pakistan would have raised the morale of the residents of Indian-administered Kashmir.

He said the forthcoming meeting of the OIC foreign ministers in March was going to be held in Pakistan, adding the report on Kashmir would also be compiled by then.

Asked if next year's OIC meeting would produce concrete results for the people of Kashmir, Ambassador Aldobeay said it was likely to yield "fruitful results."