Meeting of the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir on the Sidelines of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly, held on 22 September 2026 in New York
(Joint Communique)
Jammu Kashmir Monitoring Desk Islamabad
The Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Senior Officials of the Member States of the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir (Republic of Azerbaijan, Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Republic of Türkiye, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Republic of Niger) met on the sidelines of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, on 22 September 2026. The Secretary-General of the OIC chaired the meeting.
Having heard the report from the OIC General Secretariat and Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (OIC-IPHRC), the briefing from the Deputy Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister of Pakistan, the views of the Foreign Ministers and Senior Officials of other Member States of the Contact Group as well as the True Representatives of the Kashmiri People on the latest developments in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK);
The meeing reaffirming the earlier OIC pronouncements and resolutions on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute;
Reiterating the contents of the Joint Communiqués issued by the meetings of the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir, held on 25 September 2019, 22 June 2020, 23 September 2021, 22 March 2022, 21 September 2022, 17 March 2023, 20 September 2023, 26 September 2024, 22 June 2025 and 23 September 2025;
The Foreign Ministers and Senior Officials:
Urged India to improve the human rights situation in IIOJK, release all Kashmiri political prisoners, lift the ban on the outlawed Kashmiri political parties, repeal all restrictive and draconian laws, and implement the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir.
Reaffirmed their unwavering support for the Kashmiri people’s inalienable right to self-determination, as enshrined in the relevant UN Security Council and OIC resolutions;
Underscored that these developments have once again shown that durable peace and stability in South Asia will remain contingent upon the final settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and aspirations of the Kashmiri People;
Expressed solidarity with the government and people of Pakistan, and indicated their deep concern over military escalation in the South Asian region in May 2025, including the unlawful and unwarranted strikes carried out on multiple locations in Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and stressed the need to exercise maximum restraint and avoid actions that would destabilize the region;
Welcomed the ceasefire between the two sides following the military escalation and appreciated the constructive efforts made by all countries to mediate and bring the two parties together to reach this agreement;
Emphasized that some of the Indian leaders’ unwarranted claims and irresponsible statements about Azad Jammu & Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan constitute a threat to regional peace;
Expressed their concern regarding the crackdown launched by the Indian authorities in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK), as a reprisal to the Pahalgam attack, including arrest of around 2,800 persons and demolition of about 3 dozen houses;
Denounced the continued issuance of domicile certificates in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), noting that over 3.4 million such certificates have been issued since 2019;
Expressed serious concerns over continued detention and denial of bail to prominent Kashmiri leaders, Mr.Yasin Malik, Asiya Andrabi, and Shabbir Ahmed Shah, who has been diagnosed with cancer;
Further condemned the prolonged detention of thousands of Kashmiri political workers, dissenters and human rights defenders; banning of a number of Kashmiri political parties; and the ongoing campaign to confiscate the properties of the Kashmiri activists;
Denounced the curbs on religious congregations at Srinagar historic Jamia Masjid and Eidgah on important religious occasions such as Eid-ul-Azha and Eid-ul-Fitr;
Reiterated their rejection of illegal and unilateral actions taken by India on 5 August 2019 as well as the subsequent steps aimed at undermining the internationally recognized disputed status of the IIOJK and altering its demographic structure and political landscape;
Stressed that any electoral exercise in IIOJK, pursuant to the Indian Constitution, cannot serve as a substitute to the grant of the right to self-determination to the people of Jammu & Kashmir;
Welcomed the visit to Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir by the Secretary General’s special Envoy for Jammu and Kashmir in April 2025;
Also welcomed the Joint Press Statement of 2 May 2025, issued by the OIC Group of Ambassadors to the United Nations in New York, underscoring that the unresolved Jammu and Kashmir dispute remains the core issue affecting peace and security in South Asia;
Expressed satisfaction on the declaration made by the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir, which met on 22 June 2025 on the sidelines of the 51st Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers in Istanbul, for a peaceful settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with relevant UN Security Council resolutions;
Further welcomed the Joint Communique of 23 September 2025, adopted by OIC Contact Group at a ministerial meeting in New York, reaffirming support for the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination;
Requested the Secretary General and OIC Member States to highlight the plight of the Kashmiri people at various international fora, including the United Nations;
Further requested the OIC-Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission to dispatch a fact-finding mission to Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Line of Control to obtain firsthand information about the situation on the ground;
Directed the OIC Observer Missions in New York and Geneva to send a copy of this Joint Communiqué to all Member States, the UN Secretary-General and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights;
DPM/FM Pakistan Ishaq Dar addressed the Ministerial Meeting and highlighted the continuing restrictions on political and civic space in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and attempts to alter its demographic, political, and cultural character.
He recalled that Jammu and Kashmir remains an internationally recognized dispute on the agenda of the UN Security Council and stressed that no domestic legislation, judicial verdict, electoral exercise, or demographic manipulation could substitute for the Kashmiri people’s inalienable right to self-determination. He urged OIC Member States to maintain a unified position on Jammu and Kashmir at the United Nations and other international fora.
DPM/FM Pakistan at the Ministerial Meeting of the OIC Contact Group
For almost eight decades, the people of Jammu and Kashmir have waited for the international community to honour a solemn promise: their right to determine their own future through a free and impartial plebiscite under United Nations auspices.
Through a series of illegal and unilateral measures pursued since 5 August 2019, India’s unmistakable intention is to unlawfully change the demographic, political and cultural character of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
India has systematically dismantled political and civic space in IIOJK. Kashmiri leaders, activists, journalists, and youth continue to face arbitrary detentions, torture, and persecution under draconian laws, including the Public Safety Act and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Political organizations have been outlawed, and legitimate dissent criminalized.
This repression is accompanied by a deliberate effort to alter the identity of the occupied territory. New domicile and land laws, manipulation of electoral constituencies, addition of non-Kashmiris to electoral rolls, confiscation and demolition of properties, and measures undermining Kashmir’s Muslim cultural and religious heritage are being used to change realities on the ground.
India has simultaneously sought to shut the window through which the world can see these violations. Media freedoms have been systematically curtailed. Journalists face intimidation, surveillance, and detention; the Kashmir Press Club was forcibly closed; social media accounts have been blocked; and international media and independent observers continue to be denied unhindered access.
These concerns continue to be independently corroborated by the international community. The joint communication of UN Special Procedures of 16 October 2025 referred to the arrest and detention of around 2,800 individuals, including journalists and human rights defenders; demolition of homes; blocking of around 8,000 social media accounts; and incidents of hate speech, intimidation, and dehumanization targeting Kashmiris and Muslims.
These are not isolated violations. Taken together, they reveal a sustained effort to silence a people, transform the identity of their homeland, and foreclose their right to determine their own future.
The conflict between Pakistan and India in May 2025, following the Pahalgam incident, provided a stark reminder of the consequences of leaving the Jammu and Kashmir dispute unresolved. India levelled baseless allegations against Pakistan without credible investigation and embarked upon military aggression. Pakistan exercised its inherent right to self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter in a measured and proportionate manner, while acting responsibly to prevent further escalation.
The lesson from the dangerous confrontation in May 2025 must not be lost. Two nuclear-armed States came into direct military conflict over a dispute that has remained unresolved for almost eight decades. Whether in South Asia or the Middle East, military force cannot resolve longstanding political disputes. Dialogue, diplomacy, and the just resolution of their root causes, in accordance with international law, remain the only sustainable way forward.
India’s unilateral attempt to hold the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance has introduced another dangerous dimension. The Treaty is a binding international agreement and contains no provision permitting its unilateral suspension. The Court of Arbitration has reaffirmed that unilateral action by one party cannot deprive the Court of its competence and has underscored the continuing force of the Treaty’s obligations, including those governing the Western Rivers. International obligations cannot be set aside when they become inconvenient. India cannot invoke domestic law to negate Security Council resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir, any more than it can resort to unilateral measures to evade its binding obligations under the Indus Waters Treaty. Treaties and international commitments must be respected in good faith.
Jammu and Kashmir remains an internationally recognized dispute on the agenda of the United Nations Security Council. No domestic legislation, judicial verdict, electoral exercise, or demographic manipulation can substitute for the Kashmiri people’s inalienable right to self-determination. Pakistan remains committed to a just and peaceful settlement of the dispute in accordance with the relevant Security Council resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people. We will continue extending our full support to the Kashmiri people until that right is realized.
We are grateful to the OIC for consistently standing up with their Kashmiri brothers and sisters. Our challenge now is to translate this principled solidarity into sustained diplomatic action.
In line with the OIC Resolution on the Jammu and Kashmir Dispute, we urge the OIC and its Member States to:
First, maintain a unified and visible OIC position at the United Nations and other international fora and intensify efforts for the implementation of the relevant Security Council resolutions;
Second, call upon India to reverse all illegal measures taken since 5 August 2019, halt demographic engineering and attacks on Kashmiri political, religious and cultural identity, and release political prisoners and all those arbitrarily detained;
Third, demand unrestricted access to IIOJK for the OIC Special Envoy and Fact-Finding Mission, OHCHR, UN Special Procedures, international media and independent observers, and support credible international accountability for serious human rights violations; and
Fourth, strengthen coordinated OIC diplomacy in New York and Geneva and support the OIC’s call for an updated OHCHR report on Jammu and Kashmir.
The Kashmiri people are only asking the international community to deliver what was provided to them decades ago. Their right to self-determination is already recognized, and the mechanism for its exercise has already been prescribed by the Security Council. What remains is the fulfilment of that solemn international commitment. The OIC must continue to translate its unwavering solidarity into sustained diplomatic action — keeping Jammu and Kashmir high on the international agenda, opposing attempts to alter the character of the disputed territory, and advancing a just and peaceful settlement in accordance with the relevant Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.
