MT Desk: Pakistan raised the issue of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir on the sidelines of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation meeting during the United Nations General Assembly’s 80th session. In a Foreign Office statement, Pakistan—joined by Azerbaijan, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Niger—reiterated “unwavering support for the Kashmiri people’s inalienable right to self-determination.” “Emphasised that some of the Indian leaders’ unwarranted claims and irresponsible statements about Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan constitute a threat to regional peace.”
According to a post shared by the Foreign Office on X, “Further condemned the prolonged detention of the thousands of Kashmiri political workers, dissenters and human rights defenders; banning of many Kashmiri political parties; and the ongoing campaign to confiscate the properties of the Kashmiri activists.”
This could be in reference to recent statements made by the Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday. The minister insinuated that operation Sindhoor had not ended but merely paused, with a possible “second and third phase of operation Sindhoor.” He claimed that India will take control of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
Operation Sindhoor was India`s military action against Pakistan following an attack in Pahalgam. India baselessly held Islamabad responsible for the attack and launched a military response that killed 51 Pakistanis. In response to India`s attacks, the Pakistan Army launched Operation Bunyanum Marsoos. Pakistan and India agreed to a ceasefire brokered by US President Trump.
The Foreign Office (FO) expressed concern with the conduct of the Indian military in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) following the Pahalgam attack. Indian authorities in July launched a deportation campaign targeting Muslims, allegedly expelling 1,900 people to Bangladesh, as reported by The Washington Post.
India has maintained an estimated 700,000 troops in the valley, making it one of the most heavily militarised places on earth. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has also called for the resolution of the decades-old Kashmir dispute in accordance with the UN resolutions.
Addressing the 80th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, he said dialogue is the only way forward to resolve the issue, stressing that the preservation of peace and stability in South Asia is of utmost importance.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar are both currently present in New York, attending the UNGA session. According to diplomatic sources, the prime minister will briefly travel to Washington from New York for a meeting with President Trump.